Turning Back The Hands Of Time
by enunciiate
Summary: Blair knows about Elle. When Chuck tells Blair he loves her, she refuses him. What were the consequences of her harsh decision? The future she has carved for herself will be revealed soon enough. Can Blair turn back the hands of time? AU. Post 2x18. R&R!
1. I Love You

**A/N:** This is a new idea I have for a story. Chuck and Blair will receive a happy ending. I promise. This entire story is dedicated to Abby. Happy Birthday!

**I Love You**

* * *

"Chuck, what are you doing here?" she asked, a hint of impatience in her voice.

She was _not_ in the mood for this. Her encounter with Carter at the bar had left her with nothing but thoughts of bitterness. Carter had informed her of what she had missed.

In her darkest moment, Chuck had abandoned her. In her time of desperate need, he had been pursuing nothing but a common whore. Carter had been a gentleman. He did not make a single solitary move on her, but merely sat there to listen to her endless rant about the thorough destruction of her perfect life. He had even talked her out of drowning her misery in alcohol. Carter had most certainly revealed a side to her that she never knew had existed before tonight. She was by no means developing feelings for him, but she appreciated the fact that he was there for her as a friend.

Chuck did not respond to her question, but merely took both of her hands in his. His dark eyes connected with her own and she felt herself fall into a forbidden abyss.

"I love you Blair," Chuck said without a trace of hesitation in his voice.

He heard a hitch in her steady breathing, but Blair could only stare at him in disbelief. She remained completely still, afraid that even a tiny motion would upset the balance of the moment. Since she had said those three binding words to him, she had been dreaming of this moment. She would replay the magical scene over and over again in her mind and yet, this was not how she had pictured it.

Her heart was beating no faster than it was before. The display of fireworks she had planned remained dormant inside her head. Her mind did not race with a slew of inappropriate thoughts nor did she feel compelled to run her hands through his soft brown hair. He was supposed to have been her prince charming, but all she saw before her at that moment, was a pathetic frog.

"Did you hear me Blair? I said I love you," Chuck repeated, curving his lips into his signature smirk.

Blair snapped out of her thoughts and slowly withdrew her hands from his gentle touch. There was a bittersweet smile upon her angelic face.

"You're too late," she whispered. "I am _not_ an afterthought Chuck. I am a destination."

With that, she walked away from the one man she had ever truly loved. It took every ounce of strength that was left in her fragile body to achieve this, but she knew it was something she had to do for herself.

Chuck stayed rooted to the ground unable to speak and unable to move. Her words continued to echo through his mind. _I am not an afterthought Chuck. I am a destination._ Blair Waldorf had walked away from him. He had confessed his love for her and _still_ she had walked away from him. When had he _ever_ considered her an afterthought? Then, it came to him. She had found out about his escapade with Elle. He hung his head in shame as a single tear gently rolled down his cheek.

* * *

_Blair took a deep breath, desperately trying to control her emotions. What had just happened? She put her head gingerly in her hands, as she tried to choke back a sob. The words that Chuck had spat out so mindlessly had shattered her heart in a way she never knew was possible. I don't need your help. Stop trying to play the wife. His words continued to ring in her ears, each time taking another stab at her already wounded heart. Blair shook her head rigorously, hoping to expel her thoughts of Chuck from her mind._

_Pull yourself together Waldorf! Following her own advice, Blair slowly rose from the couch. She took a deep breath to compose herself and headed up the stairs towards her bedroom. She stood in front of the mirror and witnessed the mess she had made of herself. I don't need your help. Stop trying to play the wife._

_This time, Blair made no effort to control her tears as they streamed down her delicate cheeks. She continued to observe her reflection as each tear was absorbed by the plush carpet beneath her feet. Who did he think he was? She had confessed her love for him; had stood by him through thick and thin._

_Her depressing thoughts were interrupted by a soft knock on her bedroom door. Chuck! Her lips curved into a smile at the very thought of his presence. She would let him wait. He sure as hell deserved it._

"_Miss Blair?"_

_Blair let out a heavy sigh as she wiped away the remains of her tears._

A single tear rolled down her cheek as she struggled to dispel the heart-wrenching memory from her mind. She would never forget the pain that he had caused her that night. She had stayed up all night to wait for him, hoping that he would show up to apologize; to tell her he loved her too. When he had failed to show up, she had repeatedly purged the contents of her stomach throughout the night. In a way, she had still been waiting for him, but it was all too late now. He had failed to rescue her from this nightmare. He had finally pushed her over the edge with Elle.

At that moment, she reasoned that she had meant nothing to Chuck. That had to be why he had pursued Elle. She had been nothing but another one of his conquests. Blair laughed at her own stupidity. She had been there for him when he had needed her the most. In his darkest hour, she had been his shining angel. She did not judge him. She had been willing to wait for him and she did so faithfully. Despite how much he had hurt her and how many times he had so mindlessly torn her heart apart, she had stayed by his side.

Yet, in her moment of dire need, when nothing in the world had been going her way, he had abandoned her without a second thought. He had left her to fend for herself; to save herself when her perfect life had been relentlessly tossed into the flames. Carter had told her how much Elle had meant to him, but Blair knew it too. Otherwise, why would he have wanted to run away with her?

Blair laughed again, but this time it was at the very idea of Chuck having wanted to run away with that common whore. Chuck Bass had been planning to escape with Elle to another _country_ when he couldn't even bring himself to show up for _her_ at a helipad.

Blair realized right then and there that it was no longer about the expression of those three words anymore. What was so special about them? Those words she had desired to hear for so long should have meant the world to her and yet, at that very moment, she wished he would never have said them. Right now, his _I love you_ was worth less than the gum beneath the dirty shoes of a beggar in her eyes.

She was through with Charles Bass. The new Blair Waldorf was going to learn to love no one but herself. He had destroyed enough of her already and he had taken her soul with him. She needed to learn how to let go of the past and embrace the future. She took a step back from the mirror and dried the remains of her previously uncontrollable tears, offering herself a tiny smile. The old Blair Waldorf was now officially dead and buried. The new Blair Waldorf would live for no one else but herself.

* * *

Blair woke with a start to the sound of her alarm as the rays of the sun welcomed a brand new morning. She smiled inwardly to herself. This was the day that the world would be introduced to the new Blair Waldorf. She walked over to her closet excitedly and swung the doors wide open. She would pick out the perfect outfit for such an occasion. It would be an outfit that would express that she no longer had a care for the world. She would no longer live her life with expectations; with a plan. The new Blair Waldorf would now live on whim and on her own accord.

"Dorota!" she cried in distress as she stared at the contents of her closet.

Where was her uniform? Where were her clothes? She closed her eyes and forced herself to take deep breaths to prevent herself from fainting.

"Dorota!" she cried again.

The maid bustled into the room, a look of concern upon her face.

"Yes, Miss Blair?"

Blair opened her eyes before turning around to address the maid.

"Dorota, where is my school uniform and where are my beloved clothes?" Blair asked, enunciating each word to make sure Dorota understood her concern.

"Your father construct new room for your clothes. Your school have no uniform no more. You alright Miss Blair?" Dorota responded, confusion evident upon her face.

"What do you mean my school has no uniforms? Since when did I have a separate room for my clothes?"

"Your school abolished uniforms Miss Blair. You asked your father to build new room for your clothes months ago. You no remember Miss Blair? You asked me to burn old clothes. They did not fit new Miss Blair," Dorota explained.

"Pinch me Dorota," Blair demanded.

Dorota was really starting to worry about Blair.

"Pinch you Miss Blair?"

Blair let out a frustrated sigh and pinched herself. Unfortunately, she did not wake up in her bed again. Instead, she felt the sting she had created on her own skin. Blair had a lot of questions, but she would have to ask them cautiously.

"Is my father here Dorota?" Blair questioned.

Dorota laughed. "You play prank on me Miss Blair. Your father is here of course! He married to your mother!"

Blair stared at her with wide eyes.

"What do you mean my father is married to my mother? What happened to Cyrus? What happened to Roman?"

"Miss Blair, you worry me. Cyrus cheat on Eleanor. Your mother reunite with your father after. Roman left your father for other male model. It has been few months. You no remember? We see doctor now," the maid answered her, taking a hold of her wrist.

"No!" Blair shouted, panic evident in her shrill voice. "I remember now Dorota. How silly of me to have forgotten!"

Dorota hesitated, but eventually decided to leave Blair to her thoughts. After Dorota made her departure, Blair positioned herself in front of the mirror. She still _looked_ like Blair Waldorf. Nothing seemed to be out of place.

She approached her closet again and warily opened the doors to examine its contents. There were rows and rows of boxes before her, but a special rose-colored box captured her immediate attention. She retrieved it from its place on the shelf and gingerly removed the leather lid, afraid of disturbing its contents.

Much to her surprise, her eyes fell on a single white envelope. Her name had been scrawled carelessly on the front with a black pen, but the ink had begun to fade. Even so, she could recognize the intricate handwriting on the envelope. Chuck had written a letter to her. She quivered slightly as she opened the crisp envelope and removed the well-worn sheet of paper from its hold. She held her breath as she read the letter through and through. The ink had begun to fade, but she could still make out the words.

_**Blair,**_

_**I have never written a letter before. I never had the need to put my heart on paper. I cannot even begin to make you understand how sorry I am for all the pain that I have caused you. I know I say those words a lot. I can never seem to express them enough whenever I am around you. I know I abandoned you when you needed me the most.**_

_**That night when you said you were done with me, my heart shattered into a million pieces. I knew at that moment that that was what you had felt each and every time I had taken advantage of your unconditional love for me. Elle had been a convenient distraction. You are never an afterthought for me Blair. You are my destination. **_

_**I know you hate me right now and truthfully, I hate myself, but I meant what I said last night. I want you to know that I love you. I love you more than I love myself. I always have Blair and I always will. I was never able to admit it because I was afraid that when I did, it would change us. I have been a fool. There has never been an us to begin with and the blame rests upon my shoulders.**_

_**I honestly have no idea what I want to achieve with this letter, but I want you to know what I feel about you; about us. I hope that in time you will forgive me Blair. No matter what road you choose to travel on in the future, I will always be with you. I will always be by your side.**_

_**Chuck**_

* * *

"He wrote you that letter one week after that night, you know."

Blair turned around to address the unfamiliar voice. A beautiful girl stood before her. She was well dressed and definitely came from endless pools of money. Her green eyes were accentuated by the rays of the sun and her hair mirrored the colour of her own.

"Who are you?" Blair asked as a slight fear began to consume her.

"My name is Abby. I am here to show you the consequences of the path you have chosen," she proclaimed.

"What do you mean?"

Abby smiled before continuing. "You were so set on being the new Blair Waldorf, you know? You sent Chuck Bass along his way. He waited for the return of his old Blair, but you never came back."

Blair finally caught on to what was happening.

"This is the future I have carved for myself," she said as-a-matter-of-factly.

Abby nodded in response to her statement. "This is not a figment of your imagination Blair. You have to live with this future. You promised yourself you would embrace your future and that is exactly what you must do. We cannot turn back the hands of time."

Blair wanted to protest and turned around to confront Abby again, but she found herself staring into nothing but an empty space.


	2. The Wizard Of Odd

**A/N:** Reviews are always highly appreciated! I hope you will continue to follow Blair on her twisted adventure!

**The Wizard Of Odd**

* * *

Blair entered the premises of the school, breathing a huge sigh of relief at the sight of a comforting face among the rowdy crowd. She was determined to embrace this future and the one person she knew she could rely on was Serena. It was odd seeing her classmates without their uniforms. Frankly, some of the students would have been _much_ better off wearing their old uniforms to school in her opinion. Penelope looked absolutely atrocious. Blair would have to have a word with her minion about that later.

"Good morning S," Blair greeted the blond as she took a seat next to her on the bench.

"You missed an _amazing_ party last night B, but how was your anniversary date?" Serena asked, winking in her direction.

"What do you _mean_ how was my anniversary date?" Blair retorted.

Serena rolled her eyes and laughed. "Very funny Blair, but I know you and Carter had the time of your life last night."

Blair shivered at the implications of her statement, sending an involuntary chill down her spine. She honestly hoped that nothing had happened between her and Carter, although she supposed that the _possibility_ was most certainly there. It _was_ plausible that she would be dating Carter in the future. They had most likely developed a very deep friendship and it had blossomed into something more. Blair refused to judge the situation just yet. She would see Carter soon enough. This future was acceptable so far.

"I am _so_ not jealous of you B. You _know_ how I hate committing myself to any serious relationship," Serena continued.

Blair had absolutely no clue what she was more concerned about. She was dating Carter and her best friend apparently refused to engage in serious relationships. What was going on? She decided to clarify a few facts about her relationship with Carter first. It was best to play dumb. That way, she could obtain more information from Serena.

"Carter? I was with him last night?"

Serena could detect the uncertainty in her voice. Why was Blair asking such a ridiculous question?

"What is going _on_ B?" she asked, a hint of concern in her voice. "Have you _really_ been dating Carter? We made a pact to make peace with the past! It is _not_ an embarrassment that Chuck found someone new before you did!"

Blair remained still as she stared in shock at her best friend. Chuck had found someone _new_? Blair felt her previous anger towards Chuck bubble within her once again. He should have tried harder to possess her heart again! She would have forgiven him eventually! On second thought, _this_ was exactly what she had wanted. She was now in a steady relationship with Carter and Chuck had found his happiness as well. The new Blair Waldorf had done them both a favor.

_Have you __really been dating Carter?_ Blair pondered over her question. Would she have used Carter to save herself the embarrassment? There _was_ a possibility that the old Blair Waldorf would have done that, but she was unsure as to whether or not the new Blair Waldorf would have done the same. It was probably safer to deny Serena's accusation for now. She refused to believe that she would set herself up for a fake relationship.

"I would _never_ do something like that S! You know Chuck has been nothing but a distant memory since that night!"

Serena remained unconvinced. "I can see right through you Blair."

Blair sucked in her breath, a nervous giggle escaping her lips. "What are you talking about?"

Serena smirked. "I know all of these ridiculous questions is your way of testing me on how much I know about you. You're always going on about how I never listen to you."

Blair sighed in relief. This was perfect! She would be able to ask some _real_ questions now without seeming suspicious to the blond.

"You are _so_ smart S! So, how long have Carter and I been dating?"

Serena shrugged. "I haven't really been keeping track, but it's been a few months now? It was right after you became the new Blair Waldorf…oh wait! I remember. It was that night Chuck sent you that mushy letter! Yeah, I remember now! It was the same night Dan had wanted to get back together with me!" the blond exclaimed.

Whoa! This was _way_ too much information for Blair to absorb. There was still so much she needed to clarify with Serena.

"That's correct S. Are you up for more trivia?"

Serena shrugged. Again.

"Well, we still have plenty of time before first period. Go easy on me though. I'm still hung over from last night."

Blair frowned.

"Since when do you get hangovers S? I thought we were past the old you?"

"Oh B! You make up the best trivia questions. I totally know why I went back to being the real me. So, you were getting yourself wasted at that bar after Chuck sent you that letter and then we went to come find you because Chuck was worried. Then, Chuck was _super_ angry after because he caught you making out with Carter and then you yelled at him because he wasn't your boyfriend. You told him Carter was. At least I think that's what you said or was it something about not being in love with him anymore?"

Blair cringed at the words she didn't even know she had spoken. She had _said_ those things to him? Chuck must have been so hurt! Blair felt a pang of guilt course through her body, but quickly shook the feeling off. The Basstard probably deserved it.

Serena continued to babble on with the story. "Anyway, after Chuck left, you sent Carter on his way. We had this awesome heart-to-heart and you told me about Miss Carr and Dan in the costume closet, so when he asked me to get back together with him on the same night, I just slapped him. That was _so_ invigorating B! Thanks!"

Blair put a hand on her shoulder in sympathy. "S, you went back to being the old you because of me?"

Serena giggled. "Don't look so sad B! We totally made the right choice. We made a pact to never love again and we've stuck with it and look how happy we are now! I get a new boy toy every week and you're not really being _that_ serious with Carter! This is so..." she trailed off at the sight of the new student she had met earlier.

"Abby! Hey! Over here!" Serena shouted, waving her arms in the air.

Blair turned around abruptly and found herself staring at the beautiful girl who had appeared before her earlier that morning. By instinct, Blair grabbed her harshly by the arm.

"Who _are_ you? You need to bring me back to the past. This isn't the future I've created for myself. This is the future you've created to torture _me_," she seethed.

Abby didn't even blink in her direction and gently shrugged off Blair's tight grip on her arm.

"I'm sorry. Have we met before? I think you've mistaken me for someone else. I'm new here."

Blair scoffed. "Don't act all innocent with me. I seem to be living a happy Chuck-less future, but I want my best friend back the way she was!" she demanded, pointing at Serena for emphasis. "She's miserable!"

Serena stared at the two before she snapped at them both.

"Could we please keep the volume down girls? Hello? Hangover?" Serena stated, motioning towards her pounding head. "I don't think you've met Abby before B. She just transferred here. I met her like ten minutes ago myself. She just went to her locker to get something and what's with all of this nonsense about the past? We should live in the moment! I'm not miserable B! I'm happy! I'm _so_ happy!"

Several students were starting to stare at the commotion, so Blair decided to drop the issue. The last thing she needed was for the headmistress to convince her parents to send her off to an asylum. Besides, who would believe that the new student had sent her here to the future and that she really belonged in the past?

"Nothing S. I don't know what came over me. Sorry about that Abby. My mistake," Blair declared, offering her a fake smile.

Abby smiled back, maintaining a look of complete innocence on her face.

"Yes, of course."

Serena smiled as well. "Great! Now that we all know each other, I'm going to head off to class B. I don't think I can take anymore of your trivia questions. My head is killing me. I'll text you the party details later tonight. You should come too Abby!"

Abby and Blair both nodded in her direction as she skipped off to class. Apparently, whatever drugs Serena had been taking last night hadn't worn off either.

Blair remained motionless in the courtyard as the rest of the students began to file into the building for first period. She didn't even know if she _had_ a first period, but she wasn't going to go either way. Why should it matter? She was going to demand that Abby take her back to the past anyway. It was one thing to want a Chuck-less future for herself, but another if she had ruined her best friend's life in the process. Serena was like a sister to her and this was the last thing she would have wanted for Serena. Abby remained where she was as well.

"I see you've learned quite a bit about what you did to get yourself here Blair," Abby mentioned, breaking the silence.

Blair smiled. "I knew it was you. I never forget a face Abby. Now please send me back."

"I'm afraid I can't do that Blair. You're the one who wanted to embrace your future. I'm giving you the opportunity to fulfill that wish."

Blair sneered. "This future is completely messed up! My best friend has gone back to sleeping with random guys, drugs, and parties! She rejected downer Dan for crying out loud! Brooklyn was her soul mate despite how much I disliked him! I rejected _Chuck_! My decision should only affect us!"

Abby raised her hand to silence her. "Calm down Blair. You'd be surprised. One tiny action or decision can lead to so much more. Whether you like it or not, you are stuck with this future. We cannot turn back the hands of time."

She resorted to pleading with Abby, desperation evident in her eyes.

"You keep saying that! Please! There must be a way to fix this! You must have the power to fix what I've done to Serena!"

"I _am_ sorry Blair, but you need to face the consequences of what you have done. I _can_ fix everything you've made a mess of, but I'm not going to. I'm not your enemy Blair. I was sent to guide you. You've seen what you've done to Serena, but you have yet to see what you've done to the others. You won't be too happy when you find out who Chuck is dating now either."

"You mean I _am_ in a fake relationship with Carter?" Blair asked in disbelief.

Abby nodded.

"And is Chuck happy with this girl? Did he really get over me?"

Abby nodded again.

If it were at all possible, the million pieces of her shattered heart had shattered again. Chuck was happy and she was in a fake relationship? She had become the new Blair Waldorf! _She_ was supposed to be the happy one! _Chuck_ was supposed to have been the person in mourning over what he had lost! Even in the future, Chuck had the upper hand. This was so unfair!

Realizing that Abby could not be wavered, she adopted an icy tone towards the spirit or whatever she was. It was as if she had frozen over every little shattered piece of her heart.

"Fine. What else do I need to cope with Abby?" she asked, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "Nate is in a happy relationship too? Eric is no longer gay? Vanessa is rich now? Penelope is now queen? Surprise me, Abby."

Abby smirked knowingly at Blair's presumptions. Blair took a step back from her, her eyes wide with shock.

"You mean I'm right about all of those things? I was trying to come up with the most horrendous possibilities!" Blair cried.

Abby did not speak a word and merely nodded her head as she slowly began to fade away.

"Wait!" Blair pleaded with her. "Why is everyone happy but me? Please tell me! This is _my_ future! The new Blair Waldorf was supposed to be happy!"

By now, Abby had almost fully faded away into the distance. Blair fell back onto the bench as tiny sobs began to rise in her throat. _She_ was supposed to be the happy one! _She_ was supposed to be the happy one! She wondered if clicking her heels together like Dorothy would bring her back to the past.

* * *

Blair ran through the hallways, hoping to find Chuck by his locker. She refused to believe that he could truly be happy without her. She turned the corner and sighed in relief at the vision of his presence. He still _looked_ the same. Abby had probably been making things up to get a rise out of her. She smoothed out the dress she was wearing and approached him calmly, a wide smile upon her face. She would need to choose her words wisely and act natural as if she had lived every day since that fateful night.

"Bass," she said, nodding in his direction.

Chuck looked from side to side, confusion in his dark eyes. The hallways were empty. What was Blair doing talking to him? It had been months since that incident at the bar. She hadn't spoken a word to him since then.

"Blair," he responded.

He figured it would be rude if he ignored her.

Blair frowned at his greeting. Since when had they reverted to being on a first name basis? He had _always_ called her Waldorf. It had been their thing! Blair cleared her throat.

"So, how are you doing Chuck?" Blair asked casually.

Chuck raised an eyebrow. "Fine, I guess. Blair, I'm sorry, but this is kind of weird. It's been months. I mean, we don't exactly run in the same circles anymore."

"What do you mean?" Blair questioned, genuinely confused.

Chuck sighed. Blair was still playing games with him after all this time. She had been so serious when she had said that the old Blair Waldorf had no chance of resurrection, yet the new Blair Waldorf still loved her mind games. He had matured. He was past all of that. He didn't care about her anymore. He was happy where he was now. He had moved on. He was no longer in love with her.

"Well, you and Serena have your own crazy party circle. Nate is now king of the school alongside Penelope and I..."

"Baby, there you are! I've been looking for you all morning," an oddly familiar voice called out.

Blair willed herself to turn around despite her instant recognition of _that_ velvety voice. Oh my effing God!


	3. A Ray Of Light

**A/N:** Nate is the one dating Penelope. This chapter is rated **M** for swearing and sexual content. You have been warned! I decided to allow Chuck and Blair to have a happy ending much sooner. It acted as my therapy for the latest episodes. However, Blair must still redeem herself as Chuck still has not forgiven her. Please keep that in mind at the end of the chapter. Please review! Your comments really do inspire me to write.

**A Ray Of Light**

* * *

Georgina? Chuck was now dating _Georgina_? Blair cringed at the sight of the wicked witch herself coming in their direction. Surely there was fine line between accepting the fact that Chuck had moved on and the fact that he had moved on to _Georgina_.

There was no way in _hell_ Blair would believe that he was happy with her. Who could _possibly_ find true happiness in Georgina Sparks? The scheming bitch sure knew how to put on an innocent act though. She was waving her arms excitedly and had a wide smile plastered across an angelic face as she approached her _boyfriend_.

"Sparks," Chuck greeted her as she wrapped her arms around him and pulled him down for a kiss.

Blair felt a twinge of jealousy course through her body, although she would never openly admit it. They seemed so in love. This was what _her_ ultimate relationship with Chuck was supposed to be like! Blair felt light-headed as numerous emotions ran carelessly through her head. She wanted to cry because truth be told she was absolutely devastated that Chuck had moved on. She yearned to tear that manipulative bitch away from him and then accuse him of ever letting her go.

Most of all, she felt completely vulnerable and out of control. It seemed as if she had no power over _anything_ in the future that she had bestowed upon herself. Blair could sense the remains of her breakfast rising in her throat. She had promised herself that she would never try to purge her emotions away ever again as the new Blair Waldorf, but at this moment, it was the only thing she had. She rushed away towards the nearest bathroom as the two lovers deepened their kiss. Neither of them seemed to notice her abrupt disappearance.

* * *

Blair approached the last stall and positioned herself above the porcelain bowl. It was nice to feel something so familiar. She pulled back her hair and retched, willing for the contents of her stomach to leave her body and hopefully rid her of her unbearable emotions in the process.

Unfortunately, her body refused to acknowledge her plea. Her stomach had been emptied, but her emotions lingered to haunt her. The only difference was that there was one particular emotion she wanted to express right here and now as she leaned against the cold hard wall of the bathroom stall. Blair broke into heart-wrenching sobs as she held her head in her hands. The floor was hardly a comforting place to sit and sob her nightmares away, but it was better than keeping her emotions bottled up for even a moment longer.

"Blair?" a concerned voice called out to her.

It took her a moment to register his voice, but she would never genuinely forget the sound of her name on his tongue. She did not answer him, choosing instead to remain completely still. She prayed to God that he had not heard her cry or even worse found out about her momentary relapse. She wanted to be able to walk away from him with at least a shred of dignity.

Upon hearing the sound of retreating footsteps, she pulled herself up off the floor. She thanked the heavens and Abby that she had been able to salvage her last shred of dignity. She splashed some water on her face and rinsed her mouth before walking towards the exit. She reached for the door only to find it firmly locked in its place.

What the _hell_ was going on? Blair panicked. She banged on the door a few times calling for help despite knowing full well that the majority of the students were probably still in class at this time. She pulled out her cell phone to text Serena. The blond would come to her rescue. What? No signal? There was _always_ signal in this washroom. Abby. This must be some part of her new ploy against her. She cursed the spirit, but stopped herself mid-curse afraid of the dreadful consequences that could ensue. Of course, nothing that Abby could do to her would break her more than what she had just witnessed in the hallway only moments before. She supposed she should count her blessings. At least she was trapped in the most sanitary bathroom in the entire school.

The light above her flickered as she stared at her reflection in the mirror and eventually, she was engulfed by complete and total darkness. Blair remained calm. She knew very well that it was Abby who was toying with her.

"You can come out now Abby. I am _not_ scared of you, you know. Blair Waldorf will not give up no matter what you throw in her way. Blair Waldorf does _not_ give up," she yelled into the darkness.

"You gave up on _me_ Blair," Chuck replied, walking towards her from the stall he had been hiding in.

Blair gasped at the sound of his unexpected voice. She felt him press her back firmly against his chest, wrapping his arms tightly around her tiny waist as she closed her eyes and relished in the feel of his closeness.

"You gave up on _me_ Blair," he repeated. "You said you would stand by me through anything."

A tear rolled down the side of her face and she nodded in lieu of an actual response.

He leaned in close to her ear and whispered in a dangerously low voice, "You have _no_ idea how much pain I had to endure because of you. I finally confessed my love for you Blair and you walked away from me. _Now_ you suddenly feel compelled to come back into my life months later? What do you _want_ from me Blair? What the _fuck_ do you want from me?"

She remained silent and eventually felt a wetness on her cheeks only to realize that the tears were not her own. Chuck Bass was crying. She could mend his broken heart. She _really_ believed she could.

"I want _you_ Chuck. I love you," she murmured in the hollow of her throat as he flicked his tongue against her exposed neck.

Chuck let out a tiny chuckle. Her words meant nothing to him now as the images of his unsuccessful suicide replayed themselves over and over again in his mind. He had successfully kept his attempted suicide from the world and somehow Georgina was the one who had helped him achieve this. In his moment of darkness, Georgina had saved him.

He would not deny that he was dating her partially out of gratitude, but he would _never_ give Blair the satisfaction of knowing this. He wanted to hurt her; to release the memory of his pain upon her. He spun her around, pushing her roughly up against the tiled wall.

"Fuck you Blair," he seethed before he plunged his tongue into her waiting mouth.

She wrapped her arms around his neck and gently nipped at his lower lip, eliciting a groan from Chuck as he reintroduced his roaming hands to every curve of her luscious body.

"Chuck," she moaned. "I need you. Please."

Chuck scoffed. "_Now_ you need me you inconsiderate bitch?"

He wanted to make her feel horrible for what she had done to him. He was _done_ mourning. He was _done_ feeling sorry for himself. He was angry at her, but in all honesty, he was more frustrated with himself. How could he have allowed himself to fall in love? He shook the thought from his head lest it soften his healing heart.

"Where were _you_ when I tried to take my life Blair? I tried to kill myself because of _you_! Where were you when I _literally_ tried to drown myself in my despair? I was ready to give you everything I had Blair and you threw it all right back in my face. Do you _know_ how much that _fucking_ hurt?" he spat as he freed them of their clothes.

She froze in his arms as he left a trail of bite marks down her ivory skin.

"You tried to commit suicide?" she stuttered, her mind a meld of both deep regret and pleasure.

Even in the darkness, Chuck could read her expression. It served her right. He hoped she would feel miserable for the rest of her Chuck-less life. She sensed her apology coming, but Chuck _fucking_ Bass needed no apologies. Her apologizing would immediately entail his forgiveness. It would only weaken his resolve. He muffled her apology with his mouth, delving into a heated kiss again as he pinned her arms above her head.

Blair complied and prepared to wrap her legs around his waist as he positioned himself at her already wet entrance. A sigh escaped from her plump lips as he slipped inside of her. Chuck cursed inwardly to himself. How could something so wrong feel so right? He had a girlfriend now, but his body was telling him otherwise.

He thrust mercilessly into her, binding his lips to hers in order to stifle the intensity of her screams of riveting pleasure. It was always like this when they were together. It was pure love and passion. They had complete trust in one another. Even though his mind had been so set on hurting her, his heart would never allow it. He slowed his rhythm once the first wave of her orgasm was dripping down her delicate thighs.

She released her hold on him and he winced at the sensation of the raw scars on his back. He had missed those and suddenly he was glad that they _were_ in the dark because a tiny smile escaped from his lips. It had been a while since he had smiled because he was truly happy.

"I know you're smiling Chuck," Blair mentioned as she knelt to the ground, positioning herself in front of him.

"You sure?" he choked out as she grabbed a hold of his cock.

"I know you better than I know myself Chuck," she answered, her apology laced in the way she said his name.

Her soft lips closed around his tip as her tiny hands ran up and down his shaft. Chuck groaned at the sensation. It had _never_ been like this with Georgina. It had all been so mechanical. The reformed Georgina Sparks practically had a rule book planned out for their escapades. He had always imagined Blair when he was with her. He felt horrible about it, but it had been the only way he could find his release.

Blair increased her pace as she took him fully in her mouth over and over again. He braced himself as she worked her magic, burying his hands into her chocolate hair for support.

"Fuck Blair," he drug out as he climaxed into her mouth.

She swallowed it all and kissed her way back up his body, pausing when she reached his lips.

"Are you in love with her Chuck?" she whimpered, her insecurities beginning to cloud her mind.

"No," he replied without hesitation, kissing her softly on the lips.

He pulled her close and she rested her head in the crook of his neck.

"Do you still love me?" she asked, desperately wanting to hear those three words again even though he had literally said them to her last night.

He tensed at her question. It had been months since he had said those words to her and truthfully, he could not bring himself to say them again.

"I know you need time to forgive me Chuck," she voiced for him. "I realize I must have shattered your heart that night. I know this because that was exactly how I felt when you had walked away from _me_."

"You never tried to take your life Blair," Chuck retorted.

Blair ignored his comment and continued. "Can we at least give us a chance Chuck? We can take it slow. I can wait. I can wait for the day you decide you can tell me you love me again."

A tear slid down his cheek upon hearing her offer. Why was he being so _emotional_? He was Chuck fucking _Bass_ for crying out loud! She was right. He did need time to fall back _in_ love with her again; to forgive and forget the pain that she had caused him.

He broke away from their tight embrace, reaching for his clothes and she did the same. Blair refused to make even the slightest noise as she dressed herself. This had been pure sex for Chuck. That had to be the reason why he was silently rejecting her offer. She supposed she should sympathize with him some more. He had tried to take his life. He had tried to _drown_ himself. She would probably be furious in his shoes. Besides, Abby had said that she needed to deal with the consequences of what she had done. Even with that thought in mind, she failed to blink back her tears.

Chuck unlocked the door with the key he had obtained from the janitor and she stepped outside. Chuck followed closely behind her.

"I understand Chuck. We can still be friends alright?"

She carefully wiped off the remnants of her lipstick from his lips and it took all of the strength she had left in her body to turn around and walk away in the other direction.

"Blair," Chuck called after her.

She slowly turned her head, offering him a fake smile.

"Do you want to have dinner with me tonight?" he asked, a smirk forming across his face.

Blair hesitated. Was this a _date_? What about Georgina?

Chuck answered her unspoken questions. "On second thought, you have no choice in the matter. Consider it our first official date Waldorf and I am fairly certain Georgina and I are over unless I merely imagined the mind-blowing sex we had in the school bathroom about five minutes ago."

Blair stood completely still, grinning from ear to ear. She knew she would have to gain his trust again and work for his forgiveness, but this was certainly a start. She secretly thanked Abby in the back of her mind as she leaned in to kiss him full on the lips. Perhaps Abby had been merciful and had given her the opportunity to make amends. What was so horrible about _this_ future?

* * *

Abby shook her head knowingly as she witnessed the new couple losing themselves in their passionate kiss. Blair was far from her happy ending. She took out her cell phone to send out an earlier than usual Gossip Girl blast to her many loyal followers.

_**Good morning Upper East Siders. Gossip Girl here. A reliable source tells me that Chuck and Blair are now officially a couple. We wonder what our newly reformed Georgina Sparks thinks about that. Of course, Chuck had the decency to break up with her first, right? We all know nothing brings out the suppressed devil in a person like a cheating boyfriend. You know you love me.**_

_**XOXO Gossip Girl**_


	4. The Ticket

**A/N:** This chapter is dedicated to Lauren, although the entire story is dedicated to Abby. No one loves Nate and Georgina as much as she does. I know the Chuck and Blair scene was short, but the majority of the next chapter will cover the rest of their first date. Be excited! Please review!

**The Ticket**

* * *

Georgina slammed her phone shut, causing Nate to stir on his side of the bed.

"Gossip Girl?" he asked, exhausted from their recent activities.

She nodded. "We should really refrain from turning off our phones whenever we see each other. Apparently Chuck cheated on me with Blair this morning. Gossip Girl sent out a new couple alert, which is funny because I didn't get the memo that my relationship with him was over."

Nate tensed at her words and sat up abruptly on the bed, the covers sliding down to his waist.

"We had our phones on this morning or at least mine was. How did we not know about this? Did you not go looking for him this morning before you came here? I thought you needed to apologize to him for missing dinner last night."

Georgina rolled her eyes. "Of course I did. He was talking to that little slut when I got there. Then, she went all drama queen in the middle of our kiss and disappeared somewhere. Chuck started babbling about that condition of hers and just left me standing there. Who cares? I mean, she hasn't had a relapse for months! Besides, maybe the reality of her dating Carter finally hit her hard. I'd throw up if I were dating the guy."

She took a deep breath before continuing her rant. "I should have known something would happen between them eventually. _We're Chuck and Blair. Blair and Chuck_," she mimicked her in a sing-song voice. "I mean, Blair doesn't talk to him for months and suddenly she has the urge to contact him again? Yeah, like the bitch hadn't planned this scandal out as well. I bet she gave another one of her heart-felt speeches and then gave him one hell of a..."

Nate sent her a look, immediately putting a halt to her ramblings. Despite the fact that he and Blair were no longer friends, they used to be and he had an unsettling feeling in his stomach whenever Georgina talked shit about her. He was no longer in love with Blair and maybe he never was, but he would _never_ stop looking out for her or caring about her.

Georgina threw him an apologetic glance. "Sorry Nate. I know you hate it when I rant about your old friends."

Nate shrugged it off and laughed. "It's cool. Now, were you thinking about anything..._else_? I still have another round in me, you know."

Georgina threw one of the plump pillows she had been lying on at his head as she climbed out of bed and waltzed towards the bathroom.

"You are such a whore Nate. Seriously, who knew?" she called over her shoulder.

Nate scowled. "Sleeping around instead of trusting my heart with another girl is _not_ a crime G. Besides, I know you want me. We need to stop skipping classes though. My grandfather is getting suspicious and he would _kill_ me if he knew. Lucky for us, the school is pretty lenient on seniors or the headmistress would have called him already."

"Whatever you say and I'm not judging you Nate. Why do you think _I_ sleep around so much? I'm not a heartless bitch. I fell in love once. I gave him my heart and he laughed in my face. Vanessa didn't laugh in your face per se, did she Archibald? She left you for the advancement of her career and to think we all thought she and the Humphrey clan were the only ones with true morals."

Nate's face fell at the reminder of Vanessa and his hatred for Chuck was reinstated.

"She wouldn't even have _had_ the chance to launch her career if it hadn't been for my so called best friend," he drug out bitterly.

It was Georgina's turn to laugh. "Chuck can be very persuasive, but that's beside the point. I thought you should know that his intentions were good. He knew your grandfather would never approve of her. He was trying to make her into something for you."

Nate's eyes were wide at her unanticipated confession. "Did _Chuck_ tell you this?"

"Despite our platonic relationship, we _were_ really close," she explained. "Chuck really wanted to bring you and Vanessa together. I think he figured at least one of you should be happy. He just never counted on her leaving you for her new found career. I must say that that exposé on Julian was quite a piece of work. Dragging _his_ name through the mud in order to get _her_ name out there was definitely unexpected."

"You're telling me," Nate murmured. "It's too late to patch things up with Chuck now. It's been months. I can't believe I never considered his true intentions. I always thought he didn't want me to be happy because _he_ wasn't."

Georgina chuckled. "Oh Nate! You can be so daft sometimes. I should have told you sooner I suppose."

He scoffed in response. "No kidding? By the way, you're not going to get revenge on them are you?"

She shrugged, making no promises. "Probably not. Deep down, I knew this day would come. Even if I _did_ want revenge on them, you shouldn't really be surprised. I never said I was reformed. I acted like I was and everyone on the Upper East Side chose to believe it. People can be so gullible sometimes. Of course, my timing was impeccable. I came just in time to save Chuck from himself. No one on the Upper East Side dared to say I wasn't reformed when he told them I was."

"I still don't know how you managed to keep his attempted suicide a secret. I always thought you would end up betraying him, although I suppose the situation was a little close to home, wasn't it? _You_ went through the same thing once," Nate reminded her.

"Yeah, and I _do_ love him, but in a platonic way. I will never fall in love again," she revealed.

Nate came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her, nuzzling her exposed neck. She freed herself from his grasp and stepped into the shower.

"Nate, I think we both know we have to end this," she whispered behind the shower curtain. "This was fun, but I belong to no one and I think we both know who you belong with. I mean it when I say I will never fall in love again. _You're_ just in denial. You sleep around, but no girl will ever be able to truly fill that hole in your heart. I think we both know the only one who can."

Nate swallowed hard, knowing full well that what Georgina was saying was true. He wouldn't give her the satisfaction by admitting it though.

"What if _I_ don't want to end this?" he asked, stepping in to join her in the shower.

Georgina smiled and handed him her phone. It was nice that these were now made to be waterproof.

"I think you should check out the most recent Gossip Girl blast Archibald."

_**Spotted: Vanessa Abrams arriving on her private jet. A source tells me she's here to promote her latest exposé. Who knew that Brooklyn could get down and dirty like the Upper East Side? We sure didn't a few months ago. I wonder what our very own queen and king think about the news. We hear Nate never quite got over the girl who broke his heart and as for P? She would do anything to keep her king by her side. You know you love me.**_

_**XOXO Gossip Girl**_

* * *

Blair rolled her eyes, carelessly tossing her phone onto the bed.

"You weren't lying when you said Vanessa was rich Abby," Blair stated as she selected the perfect outfit for her dinner date with Chuck. "I've been meaning to ask you though. How come you told me that Chuck was in love with Georgina? _He_ told me he wasn't and why did you lie about being a transfer student? Don't bother denying it. I was suspicious and checked with the headmistress myself before looking for Chuck this morning. You've been at this school as long as I have. How come I've never seen you around before?"

Abby shrugged as she returned her own cell phone to her purse. "First of all, I never lied about Chuck loving Georgina. You asked me if he loved her. You never specified on the _kind_ of love. He _does_ love her in a platonic sort of way. As for your second concern, well...it really isn't any of your concern. I'm not important enough for people to notice me, so why does it matter who I say I am?"

Blair shrugged and continued to try on various necklaces in front of the mirror. Abby did have a point. As long as she and Chuck were happy now, why should she care to find out who Abby really was?

Blair turned around to face the green-eyed girl. "By the way, I never got to thank you for giving me a second chance Abby, so thank you. I mean, you must have worked some sort of magic in that bathroom."

"This isn't a second chance Blair and please spare me the details of what happened in the bathroom. You won't have your happy ending just yet. I'm not sending you back to the past until _you_ fix the future."

Blair laughed. "You love to mess with my head don't you? News flash! Chuck and I are _officially_ together now. He said he would take care of Georgina before our first date and I will deal with Carter when I get a hold of him. He hasn't been answering his phone. I don't even _want_ to go back to the past anymore. I want this future more than _anything_."

Abby merely smiled upon seeing Blair's reaction. "Really? You would be happy with this future?"

"Of course!" Blair answered without a hint of hesitation. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"What if Chuck is haunted by his suicide attempt for the rest of his life? Even if he forgave you Blair, can you honestly tell me you would _still_ be happy with your relationship knowing that something like that would constantly be held over your heads?"

Blair remained silent, putting on the final touches of her makeup. Maybe if she ignored Abby, she would eventually go away.

"What about everyone else Blair? Even if you and Chuck remained genuinely happy together, would you be able to live with yourself knowing that you had to sacrifice everyone else's happiness for you own?" Abby urged. "What about Serena? Would you be able to live happily ever after with Chuck when your best friend is completely _miserable_? Would you Blair?"

Blair swiveled around to confront Abby. "I get it! Will you just _stop_? What do I have to do for you to leave me alone?"

"You need to fix this future Blair. I am not your enemy. You need to bring everything back to the way it was. We are both people of the past. We do not belong here. We're in this together. I know I've been saying that _we_ cannot turn back the hands of time, but _you_ can," Abby explained.

Blair sneered. "If we're in this together, how come _you_ can't fix everything and then send us back?"

"I just told you that you're the only one with that power! _I_ was not the one who made the mistake that caused all of this," she retorted as-a-matter-of-factly.

Blair sighed in defeat. "I understand that there is a lot to fix, but how do I even know when everything _is_ fixed? I mean, is there some sort of indicator? And what about my relationship with Chuck then?"

Blair knew that Abby was almost finished explaining things to her because she slowly began to fade.

"He gave you a necklace in addition to that letter. You cannot see it in the box now, but when the necklace finally appears beside the letter, take it as a symbol of your success. As for your relationship with Chuck, your goal will be to gain his forgiveness and help him let go of his nightmare. An inscription will appear on the back of the pendant when you have succeeded in doing so. Good luck Blair," she finished.

And with that, Abby was gone.

* * *

"Chuck? Where are we?" Blair asked, anxious to know where they were.

The limo ride had been excruciatingly long, but it had given her a sufficient amount of time to think things through. She had decided to push everything that Abby had said temporarily to the back of her mind for now. She would start dealing with everything in the morning. She wanted one perfect date with Chuck even if it was in some weird and twisted future.

"Don't take off that blindfold Waldorf or I'll be extremely upset with you," Chuck warned.

Blair giggled and grabbed onto his outstretched arms for support as she cautiously climbed out of the limo.

"Here we are!" Chuck exclaimed, allowing the blindfold to release her eyes from their dark prison.

Blair turned to look at Chuck, complete confusion etched upon her porcelain face.

"We're having dinner at a _theater_? What's on the menu? Buttered popcorn?"

Chuck smirked. He missed her wit. He intertwined his fingers with hers and pulled her towards the ticket booth.

"Yes, but..." he trailed off, brushing a kiss across her knuckles. "Chuck and Blair holding hands..."

Blair let out a slight gasp as realization hit her like a massive shock wave.

"Chuck and Blair going to the movies," Blair whispered, finishing his thoughts for him.

She threw her arms around his neck and they lost themselves in their kiss. She moaned against his lips as their tongues melded with one another.

"Get a room or just buy your damned tickets!" an irritated man shouted angrily from behind them.

Normally, Chuck would have punched the living daylights out of the guy who had dared to interrupt his make out session with Blair, but instead he just grinned and stepped up to the ticket booth.

"Two tickets please to any movie. I doubt that my beautiful date and I will pay much attention to it anyway."

The young woman handed him their tickets, which he promptly paid for. He then turned back briefly towards the man behind him.

"Don't worry. We'll get the room later."

Blair giggled as she pulled Chuck towards one of the concession stands, leaving the hot-headed man to deal with his anger management issues.

Chuck pulled her in for another kiss before whispering into her ear, "I was _going_ to rent out the entire place tonight, but I figured the world should witness this milestone in our relationship. Gossip Girl will be all over us tonight."

* * *

Abby grinned as she witnessed how happy the couple was. She would let Blair have her fun for the night. Her real work would start tomorrow. Gossip Girl, however, was never off duty.

_**Spotted: Chuck and Blair sharing a passionate kiss on their first date without a care for the world. Who knew that Chuck Bass could be such a romantic? We bet Georgina had no idea. Speaking of which, is our former devil serious about not having her revenge? I'm all for happy endings, but those tend to be few and far between when you live on the Upper East Side. There's a first time for everything though, right? You know you love me.**_

_**XOXO Gossip Girl**_


	5. I'm Nothing Without You

**A/N:** This chapter is slightly depressing, but it will get better. I promise. Please review! I would love to know what you think of the story so far.

**I'm Nothing Without You**

* * *

Georgina frowned when she saw the latest blast from Gossip Girl. A part of her was furious. She knew that Chuck would eventually find his way back to Blair, but could he not have left her with a shred of dignity? All day she had endured the endless whispers in the streets of Manhattan. The masses were all sympathizing with her. She did not want to resort to revenge because a small part of her truly did want to change, but still her classmates mocked her. It was not an act of compassion in their eyes, but a sign of weakness. She had scoffed at the idea. Georgina Sparks was _never_ fucking weak.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the familiar sound of the doorbell. She reluctantly made her way downstairs and opened the door only to find Nate standing before her.

"Nate? What are you doing here?" she asked, surprise evident in her voice.

Nate smiled. "I know we ended our affair, but we can still be friends, right?"

She returned his smile and motioned for him to come into the house. Nate took a seat on the nearby couch and she settled herself beside him.

"You should ignore them," Nate stated, staring intently into her beautiful eyes.

"What are you talking about?" she responded, although deep down she knew what he was attempting to get across to her.

Nate rested a hand on her knee for reassurance.

"You are _anything_ but weak Georgina. I don't know if this counts for something, but I am _really_ proud of you for not seeking revenge on the two of them."

Georgina remained silent as she desperately tried to hold back her tears. She would _not_ show weakness in front of anybody, especially not Nate.

He continued to ramble in response to her silence. "I know Chuck hasn't dealt with this in the best way possible, but this is..."

"...a dream come true for him," Georgina finished.

Nate smiled at her understanding. "Yeah, so his emotions got the better of him and he cheated, but I'm sure that wasn't his initial intention. Sometimes..."

"...love makes you do irrational and hurtful things," she finished for him again.

Nate laughed. "I love how we read each other like open books. You know Georgina, we'd make a _pretty_ amazing couple if..."

He trailed off and immediately clamped his mouth shut after realizing what he had just suggested.

Georgina waved off his comment. "I know what you meant Nate. Just because we're not sleeping with each other anymore, doesn't mean you have to walk on egg shells whenever you're around me. We used to be friends before all of this anyway, so just relax. How are you taking the whole Vanessa news from this morning?"

Nate averted his gaze from her. "I don't know. I don't think I ever stopped loving her and that's what gets to me. She betrayed me and yet I still feel for her, you know?"

Georgina nodded. "Are you going to try to win her back then?"

Nate shook his head.

"I don't know if I want to. I don't even know who she is anymore. I'm in love with who she was before all of this fame got to her head. _That_ Vanessa would have hated the person she's become now," he said as-a-matter-of-factly.

She placed a hand on his shoulder and asked him, "How do you know she doesn't?"

"Are you saying I should just forgive her and chase after her again then?" Nate questioned.

Georgina smirked as a plan that would benefit them both began to give birth to itself inside her head.

"Oh no. I know what that look means. I thought you said no revenge Georgina," Nate protested.

She rolled her eyes. "Oh relax Nate. I was just concocting a brilliant plan that could benefit us both."

Nate sighed. "Alright. Let's hear it, but if I oppose of the plan, you _won't_ go through with it alone, alright?"

"Deal. Now this is what I was thinking," she started. "Regardless of whether or not you want Vanessa back, you most certainly have had enough of dating our Queen P."

Nate perked up at the mention of his needy and possessive girlfriend.

"Go on," he urged.

Georgina smiled. "You need to break up with her."

"Well, thank you for stating the obvious there, but I wouldn't live to tell the tale," he reminded her.

"Right, but if you _cheated_ on her, we both know she would plan her revenge for the girl instead. It's the only way you'll get off without a scratch on that pretty little head of yours," she continued.

Nate shook his head. "I am _not_ going to put Vanessa in danger like that. Even _if_ Vanessa and I got back together and everything was alright between us again, putting Vanessa in her line of fire is just _not_ worth it. We both know what Penelope is capable of. Vanessa wouldn't stand a chance."

Georgina laughed. "You are so clueless sometimes. There are only three people on the Upper East Side who could take her down. You can choose between me, Blair, and Chuck. I'm going to safely eliminate Chuck as an option and unless you want to experience death by scarf, Blair isn't an option either. So, that leaves..."

"...you," Nate finished for her. "The plan sounds good so far, but what's in it for you? I don't want you to do this for nothing."

Georgina stifled a giggle. "Really Nate. It's cute how you care, but I _never_ do anything if there isn't something in it for me. First of all, _Penelope_ started all of this nonsense about me being weak by not having my revenge. According to her, my reformed self can't handle any of the drama anymore. She has another thing coming and this is almost _too_ perfect."

Nate caught on to what she was saying. "You could also show the world that _Chuck_ should be the one everyone should be sympathizing with because _we've_ been having an affair all along."

Georgina nodded. "Now, I know if this news reaches your family, your grandfather would probably pop a lung, but..."

Nate raised his hand to interrupt her. "I don't care if he does. In the afternoon, this random girl named Abby approached me and told me a bunch of stuff about my grandfather that I hadn't even known. Do you know that _he_ was the one who turned my father into the authorities?"

"What?" Georgina responded in shock.

"It was a part of his plan all along. He would swoop in to save the family. _Then_ it would seem like I owed him everything and he would have full control over my future. I feel _so_ stupid. I actually _did_ feel like I owed him everything, which is why I dated Penelope so readily when he suggested it. I even agreed to go to Yale and get involved in politics because of him!"

"You never really wanted to do any of those things," she reasoned for him.

"So, I'm _completely_ on board with this plan if you are. Vanessa might even get jealous. I think you'll be taking most of the blow though. Are you _sure_ this is worth it?" Nate asked again.

Georgina reassured him. "I _do_ want to help you because you're my friend. I want you to be happy Nate. Helping you escape your grandfather's prison and freeing you of that pathetic excuse of a girlfriend would be a great start whether or not you end up pursuing Vanessa again. Besides, like I mentioned before, it's time to show the world that Georgina Sparks is anything _but_ weak. The Upper East Side won't know what hit them."

"Time to send a tip to Gossip Girl then about our torrid love affair and subsequent break-up?" Nate grinned.

"Hand me my phone Archibald," Georgina replied, a devious sneer spread wide upon her face.

* * *

Blair snuggled closer to Chuck and looked up adoringly at him. She had hardly been paying attention to the movie. It was your typical chick flick.

Camilla and Byron had been deeply in love with one another, but he had broken her and so she had left him. Now, a few years into the future she was getting married to another man, but she had never forgotten about the boy who had broken her heart. Byron had been trying to convince her throughout the _entire_ movie that they were meant for each other. Now, it was the dreaded day of the wedding and _still_ she had not been convinced.

Blair found it slightly coincidental that the movie was so similar to her relationship with Chuck. The movie would obviously end on a happy note though. They always did.

"You know sweetheart, I know I'm much more interesting to watch than this chick flick, but if you keep looking at me like that, I'm going to have to take you right here and now. Don't tempt me princess," Chuck warned her.

Blair removed her head from his shoulder and swatted at him playfully. He leaned in for a quick kiss.

"We can engage in some _other_ activities once the movie is over," he murmured against her ready lips.

She blushed at his words. "Let's finish watching the movie alright?"

He let out a throaty chuckle and turned his attention back towards the movie. He should have chosen the movie himself. Chick flicks bored him to death, but he supposed he could sit through the torture of this one for his Blair. He had no idea why people bothered to sit through these anyway. The endings were always so predictable.

It was obvious that Byron would interrupt the wedding with some dramatic entrance and then Camilla would _finally_ see the light. Then they would skip off into the sunset and live happily ever after. Chuck felt sorry for the sucker who would be left standing at the altar.

Camilla and Ryan started to exchange their vows and Chuck was still waiting for that dramatic entrance, but it never came.

"They got married for real?" he heard Blair ask in shock. "What about Byron?"

Chuck shrugged, slightly shocked at the outcome himself.

"Maybe they'll get divorced or something. The movie is called I'm Nothing Without You for crying out loud," he responded.

Blair nodded and continued to watch the story play out before her. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted Abby in the front row of the theater. What was _she_ doing here? As if to answer her question, her phone vibrated with an incoming text message.

_**I came in to warn you. You and Chuck need to leave now or there will be consequences you don't want to deal with. - A**_

Blair rolled her eyes and quickly messaged her back.

_**I promise to fix everything tomorrow! At least let me have this one night. – B**_

Blair turned off her phone for good measure. When she scanned the front row again, Abby was nowhere to be found. She dropped her phone back in her purse and snuggled closer to Chuck thankful that the annoying spirit would give her at least tonight.

"What did I miss?" she whispered.

"She's about to read a letter that Byron sent her," Chuck answered never taking his eyes off the screen.

Blair waited in anticipation as Camilla read the letter she held in her hands. The background music that was playing made the scene that much more dramatic. Blair hoped that there would be a happy ending for the couple. Instead, Camilla burst into tears after reading the letter. She ran as fast as she could to Byron's house. It was surrounded by police.

"Oh no! Please don't let him be dead," Blair pleaded out loud.

An elderly lady sitting in front of her turned around to shush her, causing Blair to slink down into her seat.

"_Please let me see him," Camilla cried. "Tell me you saved him."_

_The officer shook his head. "We're sorry ma'am, but he shot himself. He was dead when we showed up at the scene."_

"_Can I see his..." she trailed off unable to finish her sentence._

"_I'm afraid I can't allow..." the officer started._

"_Please," Camilla begged him. "You know it was suicide already. I...loved him."_

Blair tensed at her words and Chuck gripped her hand a little tighter. Suddenly, Blair understood what Abby had intended to do. She must have been trying to warn her about the ending of the movie. Chuck had his eyes glued to the screen and she secretly feared what he was thinking.

Chuck cursed inwardly to himself. He _knew_ he should have chosen the movie instead of leaving it to fate. Bryon had killed himself because Camilla had denied him a second chance. It was too close to home for him and he cringed as his mind flooded with endless images of flowing water. He could still feel the rush of the cool liquid against his skin; the accentuated pressure inside his chest as he refused to let himself up for air. He could still remember the moment when the world had slowly begun to fade away. He had smiled, knowing he would be free of his pain for eternity and yet here he was sitting in a theater with the very woman who had broken him as Camilla had done to Bryon. He could feel Blair watching him closely, but he could not bring himself to return her unwavering gaze.

Camilla unfolded the letter and read the last line again as her tears stained the wrinkled paper. _I'm nothing without you._ Blair's heart sank as she realized what Camilla was about to do. The young woman grabbed the pistol from her true love's hand and brought it to her temple. Blair didn't even have time to ponder over how unrealistic the scenario was. Surely the officers would have removed the gun from Bryon's hand by now.

"_I'm nothing without you," Camilla murmured to her lover and then a single gunshot was heard._

The audience remained silent as the credits began to roll on the screen. Chuck was breathing heavily and Blair rested her hand cautiously on his shoulder. His darkened eyes bored into her own.

"The limo will take you home Blair," he said in a dangerously low voice as he stood up to leave. "_Don't_ follow me."

* * *

_**Spotted: C running out on his first date with B. Is there trouble in paradise already or did he finally find out that Georgina Sparks has been doing the nasty with his former best friend all this time? A source tells me that our Queen P is already plotting against the former devil. Careful P, Georgina doesn't seem all that reformed anymore. You know you love me.**_

_**XOXO Gossip Girl**_


	6. The Beginning Of The End

**A/N:** Georgina introduces herself to Vanessa because she has no idea whether or not Vanessa remembers her. Vanessa pretends she has never met Georgina before because she believes Georgina is beneath her. I apologize for the late update. Please review!

**The Beginning Of The End**

* * *

"Blair," Georgina greeted the brunette.

Blair gave her a firm nod, slamming her locker door shut.

"Georgina, I heard you dethroned Penelope within a few hours. Who knew she was having an affair with the drama teacher? Congratulations."

Georgina smirked. "I can _really_ detect the sincerity in your voice there Blair."

She paused momentarily before continuing. "You see. I have a proposition for you. I know you want your Queen B status back and I can hand it over to you on a silver platter...for a price."

"Why would I even _want_ to be Queen B again?" Blair asked, although deep down she _did_ miss having absolute control over the school.

"You want to restore the Upper East Side to the way it was don't you? I assume regaining your throne would be a huge part of that."

Blair could only gape at her question. "What are you talking about?"

Georgina rolled her eyes. "No need to play innocent with me Blair. Your friend Abby told me how much you wanted to restore the old ways of the Upper East Side. I have no idea why, but this could work for my benefit as well."

"How so?" Blair asked, wrinkling her nose in confusion.

"Well, you know that my parents disowned me and cut me off from our fortune, so I need money and you can conveniently provide me with that," she replied. "You know I am probably the only person on the Upper East Side who is capable of helping you with this incomprehensible task of yours."

Blair remained wary of the situation.

"Why would you want to help _me_ Georgina? You would normally be seeking revenge on me by now," Blair stated.

Georgina laughed. "Seeking revenge on you does no good for me. Nate will hate me and Chuck will probably be more depressed than he already is. Despite all that has happened, Nate _is_ one of my closest friends and I think you and I can both agree on the fact that Chuck has gone through _more_ than enough where you're concerned."

Blair could only nod in response. "How much money do you want Georgina? Why do you have to come to me for money? Surely you have other ways of obtaining some cash. You helping me still seems too good to be true."

"I'm not really helping you Blair. You see. In return, I want every last penny that the Waldorf name is worth," Georgina informed her.

Blair scoffed. "You must be insane if you think I would agree to something as ridiculous as this."

Georgina offered her a smirk. "Well, if you think you can handle this all on your own, then I'll leave you to it."

She started to walk away at an excruciatingly slow pace, waiting for Blair to stop her.

Blair knew Georgina was the only one who would be capable enough to help her. It was better to have her as a friend rather than an enemy and what did she really have to lose? She would be back in the past before she even paid Georgina for her work.

She supposed she could see what Georgina was getting out of this now. This was a more subtle form of revenge. Without their fortune, the Waldorf name would be ruined and Blair would have made it happen single-handedly. Besides, two people working towards the same goal would bring her back to the past a lot faster not to mention the fact that Abby had never told her _how_ much time she had to fix things. She couldn't risk being stuck here forever.

"Wait! Georgina!" Blair called after her.

Georgina slowly turned around, a wide grin set upon her face. "I knew you'd come around Blair. I'll expect the money the moment my work is done. Don't even try to cross me Blair. I know how much the Waldorfs are worth."

"I'll keep my end of the bargain as long as you keep yours," Blair assured her.

Georgina smiled. "Don't worry Blair. You and Chuck may be plotting geniuses, but let's be honest here. I'm better than both of you combined when I want to be. I just let you win the last time I was here. Really Blair? A school for troubled girls? There are bigger battles out there for me to win. I think I'll start on bringing Nate and Vanessa back together. I suggest you start with something else. Oh and it would be wise to save Chuck for last, yes?"

"That will be fine," Blair responded, although she was slightly ticked off that Georgina was taking control of the situation. "I'll pay you the moment the necklace...I mean, the moment everything is restored."

Georgina did not respond and merely slipped on her sunglasses before strutting off the school premises. It was time to have a little chat with Vanessa and she knew just where that Brooklynite could be.

* * *

_**Good morning Upper East Siders. Gossip Girl here and do I have the biggest news. Georgina has handed the throne over to our former Queen B after only a few hours of dethroning Queen P. Why? Who cares? Glad to have you back B. The only place P can be queen now is in a play and we all know she has the connections in the drama department, don't we? You know you love me.**_

_**XOXO Gossip Girl**_

"Blair!" Serena shouted as she approached the brunette.

Blair smiled upon seeing her best friend.

"You missed another party last night B," Serena accused her. "And what happened between you and Chuck?"

"It's a long story S," Blair replied.

"I have time," the blond said as she motioned towards the steps.

Blair remained silent as she took a seat beside the blond.

"Are you breaking our pact Blair? Are you going back to your old ways?" Serena asked, genuinely confused by everything that had transpired.

"I'm sorry S. I don't know how to explain this," Blair started.

She couldn't very well tell Serena the truth behind everything. She would never believe her, but changing Serena back to the way she was was also a part of her mission. Well, the way she was before she went back to being the old Serena anyway. So _technically_, she needed to Serena to go back to being the _new_ Serena. It was all so confusing.

"I know Blair. I'm not happy either," Serena informed her.

Blair smiled. This was going to be easier than she thought! Serena wanted to go back to being the _new_ Serena as well! This would make her job so much easier!

"So, what do you say S? We forget all of this nonsense about changing ourselves? I go back to being the old Blair Waldorf and you go back to being the new Serena?" she offered, smiling at her best friend.

Serena nodded. "Ok B. Sounds good, but I'm concerned about you. Did you cheat on Carter? I mean, we all know now that Georgina was cheating on Chuck with Nate anyway, so I suppose it doesn't matter that he cheated on Georgina with you, but you've _never_ cheated on anyone before B. The old Blair Waldorf wouldn't have."

"I did end things with him beforehand. Well, I ended things before the first date, but whether he got the message or not is another matter. I called him, but his phone was off, so I ended up sending him a text message," Blair explained.

"Wait. So you _did_ cheat on him because you and Chuck were together _before_ your first date and don't deny it B. We all saw that Gossip Girl blast," Serena reminded her.

"I _do_ feel bad about it. I'll fix everything with Carter as soon as possible. I promise."

"So, since you went back to Chuck, does that mean I can go back to Dan?" Serena asked, hoping Blair's answer would be a positive one.

Blair wrapped her best friend into a hug. "Of course S and before you ask Chuck and I are fine. He just...didn't like the movie, so he ran off."

Serena smiled. "That's good because I want you to be happy B."

Blair pulled away from their tight embrace. "I want you to be happy to S, so go and get yourself a Humphrey as much as it pains me to say it."

Serena remained silent despite Blair's encouragement and this worried the brunette.

"What's wrong S?"

Serena sighed. "I can't just waltz back into Dan's life and ask for him to forgive me."

"Please S!" Blair scoffed. "_You're_ the one who would be forgiving him. He was the one with Miss Carr remember?"

"That's the other problem," Serena continued. "They've been really going out since then, right? I mean, I couldn't break them up like this."

"Wait. What?" Blair asked, shocked by the news. "Cabbage patch has been dating Miss Iowa? How does Humphrey go from dating you to dating _that_? No worries S. I'm going to help you with this."

It wasn't as if Blair had a choice anyway. If she wanted to go back to the past, Dan needed to be with Serena.

"If he's openly dating Miss Carr, then..." Blair trailed off, waiting for Serena to fill in the blanks.

"Blair. Seriously. Aren't you getting tired of this whole quizzing me thing? Anyway, I'll humor you. Miss Carr is now a private tutor since no one will really hire her after such a scandal. Yale got wind of the scandal as well and Dan's acceptance to Yale was revoked, although that was only a rumor. Most people think it's because he wouldn't be able to afford the tuition fees for next year. He's planning to go to NYU on full scholarship instead I believe."

Blair rubbed her forehead in frustration. This would be more work than she thought. She needed to break up Dan and Miss Carr, bring Dan and Serena back together, _and_ get Humphrey back into Yale. If it was money, that wasn't an issue, but convincing Yale to take him back after an affair with a teacher was a whole new ball game.

"Alright S," Blair suggested. "Why don't you work on contacting Dan first? You know? Just work things through and make sure you're at least back to being friends. Can you do that? I can take care of the rest."

Serena wrapped her best friend into a hug again. "Oh thanks for helping me B! I love you."

"I love you too S," she responded as Serena skipped off to her next class.

"I see you're making progress," a familiar voice sounded off from behind her.

"I really am Abby. It isn't easy though. By the way, should I be thanking you for getting Georgina involved?"

Abby laughed, a twinkle in her eyes. "Of course. I've told you plenty of times that I'm here to help you. Georgina would be an amazing ally. You and I both know she could really help us out."

Blair nodded. "Yeah, I know, but how will I know she has no ulterior motives."

Abby shrugged. "Well, she's only in it for the money and ridding the Waldorfs of their fortune is the added bonus for her I suppose. Don't worry about it though. I'll keep an eye on her while you work on other stuff."

"She'll recognize you," Blair reasoned. "If you're following her around and everything I mean."

"I can make myself visible or invisible to whomever I please. I'm actually only visible to you right now, so everyone thinks you're talking to yourself," Abby teased.

Sure enough, the other people on the steps were giving her weird looks. The new Queen B was talking to herself. They probably thought they had some new psycho version of Blair Waldorf for a queen.

"Thanks a lot Abby," Blair whispered harshly.

"No problem," Abby responded, giggling at her own mischief.

"Talking to yourself Blair?" Chuck questioned, joining her on the steps.

Blair turned towards Abby and scowled at her. She then turned back towards Chuck with a wide smile upon her face.

"Is everything..."

"Yeah. I just needed some time to think things through. How are you?" he asked, leaning in to press a soft kiss to her lips.

"I'm fine," Blair responded. "Are you sure everything is alright?"

"Of course they aren't. Scars like that run deep Blair," Abby said, interrupting their conversation.

"Duh Abby!" Blair retorted.

"Blair? Who's Abby?"

Blair blushed. "Oh no one! I'm just thinking out loud is all. Don't you have class right now?"

Chuck smiled. "Yeah. I do. I'll see you later. Movie night at your place Blair?"

Blair returned his smile. "Sounds great."

"You might not have the time to enjoy your movie night Blair. You have a lot to do," Abby informed her.

"Oh come on Abby!" Blair protested. "What now?"

As if to answer her question, her phone rang to alert her of two new text messages.

_**Welcome back Queen B. I am not happy about this, but at least Georgina is out of my hair now. We need you to approve our theme for the prom. – P**_

Blair rolled her eyes. Penelope was definitely never queen material. She was like a spineless jellyfish. She just went with the flow. She supposed this mean Hazel, Isabel, and the others were all back under her command once again. The brunette opened the next text message.

_**Hey Blair. I know I have no right to ask you of anything, but I really need your help. You know how I resigned at Eleanor Waldorf designs again because I wanted to be a rock star even though your mother was kind enough already to take me back? Well, this girl Abby at our school did a last minute audition and she's replacing me as the lead singer. Could you please ask Eleanor if she would consider hiring me again? Thank you in advance. Oh! And congratulations on becoming Queen B again. – J**_

"I don't know what shocks me more. That little J wanted to be a rock star or that you auditioned and replaced her as the lead singer."

Abby laughed. "It was a piece of cake."

"Well, getting Jenny back on board shouldn't be hard, but at the time my mother hadn't given back her position yet, so..."

Abby shrugged. "Minor details don't matter. It's the major ones that need to be fixed. With Jenny, the key point is to get her to break up with Eric, so that Eric can be with Jonathan."

Blair nodded in complete understanding, quickly getting over the fact that Eric and Jenny were dating.

"So, if I do this for her..."

"...she could be useful to us in the future," Abby finished for her.

* * *

"Georgina Sparks," she introduced herself.

"Vanessa Abrams," she replied. "Now, can I help you with something? You're wasting my time."

"You can withhold the attitude Miss Abrams. I'm here to talk to you about Nate Archibald."

Vanessa laughed. "What about him? You have five minutes of my time Miss Sparks. I have places to go to and people to see. I'm quite popular these days."

Georgina took a sip of her coffee before setting it down on the table.

"It wasn't always like that though was it Vanessa? Let me remind you of the time where you were down to earth; where you had a set of morals that you stuck to like the disgusting piece of gum that is currently on the bottom of my left shoe."

"Those days are past me not that it's any of your business. Those old qualities of mine never got me anywhere," Vanessa retorted.

"So, I suppose being a hypocrite and doing the things you used to despise the folks on the Upper East Side for doing has gotten you somewhere?" Georgina challenged.

"I'm famous and I'm doing what I love, aren't I? My documentaries are internationally acclaimed."

"Trust me Vanessa. It's hard to miss any news about you nowadays. So tell me then. What's it like to be despised by the many people you wrong everyday to get to where you are? How do you sleep at night really?"

Vanessa remained silent and Georgina knew she had hit a nerve.

"The fame got to you Vanessa, but so what? If you really wanted to, you could right all of those wrongs, although that exposé on Julian really was a nice piece. Nate is miserable without you and you ruined his friendship with Chuck."

"Hey!" Vanessa cried defensively. "Don't blame everything on me."

"Let me put this in a way in which you will understand. Chuck hooked you up to get that sad little documentary of yours produced. He only wanted to kick start your career so that Nate's grandfather would approve of you. Instead, you let the fame get to your head, which is why we're here in this coffee shop right now. Nate had no idea of Chuck's intentions, so he's been blaming his best friend for the wrong that _you've_ done. I bet you're really going to sleep well tonight after hearing this," Georgina taunted her.

"This is ridiculous. I don't have to listen to any of this," Vanessa yelled, getting up to leave.

Georgina remained calm and took another sip of her coffee as Vanessa started to head for the door.

"Miss Abrams, I'll have you know that I care for Nate a lot. We're very close and I want him to be happy, so I suggest you fix things with him and everyone else you may have hurt along the way to your successful career."

Vanessa paused in her steps, so Georgina continued. "Just think about what I've said Vanessa. I think you'll find the logic behind everything I've said up until now and snap out of this phase of yours."

She opened the door, but waited for Georgina to finish her thoughts.

"If not Miss Abrams, I think you'll find that I can be...very persuasive," Georgina threatened her as a smirk appeared upon her lips.

Vanessa swallowed hard upon hearing her threat as she stepped out of the shop. She knew _exactly_ what Georgina Sparks was capable of.

_**Spotted: Vanessa Abrams having an intense conversation with Georgina Sparks at my favorite coffee shop. What could these two possibly have to discuss? I'm thinking Nate Archibald. You know you love me.**_

"Careful! It's hot," the boy warned her as he handed Abby her coffee.

"Thanks," Abby smiled, turning around to find that Georgina had already left.

She took a seat at one of the tables in the far corner and signed off on her latest blast.

_**XOXO Gossip Girl**_


	7. The Abyss

**A/N:** I hope you enjoy this chapter. Reviews are highly appreciated!

**The Abyss**

* * *

"I thought we were going to watch a few movies," Chuck stated as Blair wrapped his arms around his neck and pulled him in for a quick kiss.

"We are," she said, smiling at her boyfriend.

"Breakfast..."

"No," she interrupted him. "We need to talk first."

Chuck immediately sensed that this was going to be a very serious conversation and shifted uncomfortably on the bed.

"About what?" he asked cautiously, although deep down he knew what she wanted to talk about.

"Chuck, I think we need to talk about what happened," Blair started. "It will only make things worse if you keep your feelings bottled up inside."

"What do _you_ know?" Chuck snapped at her.

Blair flinched slightly at the tone of his voice, but she knew she couldn't blame him for being so cold towards her. She snuggled closer to him, willing for him to open up to her.

"Chuck," she urged as she settled herself in the crook of his neck. "Please let me in."

Chuck closed his eyes and let out a deep sigh.

"That movie just triggered a bad memory is all. You have nothing to worry about," he assured her.

Blair knew he was trying to be vague about it, but she needed to fix him. She needed to help him free himself from this nightmare or she could never return to the past to make things right; to tell him that she loved him too.

"What kind of bad memory?" she pried.

Blair held her breath afraid that she might have pushed him too far with that last question. Chuck remained silent and tightened his hold on her. He envisioned the scene again. He could see himself floating in the water. He could feel the liquid rushing against his skin. A faint voice was calling out to him in the background, willing for him to return to his senses. He felt someone slapping his cheeks in an attempt to wake him up. He had been so close to dying and Georgina had ruined his plans. She had chosen that exact moment to do some sort of good deed for once. The irony of the situation was too much for Chuck to bear even now.

"Chuck?" Blair murmured against his chest.

"When I tried to drown myself, I put a lot of thought into it before," he started.

Blair did not say a word and decided it was best to simply listen to what he had to say.

"I would be in my suite with a bottle of scotch in my hand and I would think about it. For so long, I thought I could drown the pain and the hurt with alcohol, but it was never enough. No matter how much I tried to convince myself I could stop loving you, I knew I never would. I loved you so much Blair."

The brunette felt her eyes tear up, but she refused to let them fall. This was about Chuck. She was here to support him no matter how much it hurt that he had used the past tense of the word love.

"I..." Blair whispered.

"For a long time, I was a coward," Chuck continued. "I would think about the plan in my head in such detail, but whenever I went down to the pool after hours, I would just sit there staring at the water wondering what it would feel like to die that way."

Blair felt a wetness in her hair and she knew he was crying, but still she did not move from where she lay. She knew that the last thing Chuck wanted was for her to see him in his moment of weakness.

"A few nights, I..."

He paused and took a deep breath before continuing.

"I almost followed through with my plans, but then somewhere in the waters I would hear you calling out to me. I would gasp for air and swim over to the edge of the pool and pull myself out with what little strength I had left."

"Chuck," Blair started again.

"I would sit on the edge and I would be consumed by thoughts of you, but I played that scene of you confessing your love for me over and over again until it hurt to think about it. I would replay your words over and over again in my head like a broken record. You said you would stand by me through anything and that was enough to convince myself each and every time that you would come back to me one day."

Blair looked up at him then and she saw that his teary eyes mirrored her own. She stroked his cheek lightly, an apologetic smile evident upon her face.

"I decided I would try one last time to win you back Blair. I provided myself with an ultimatum. I told you I loved you one last time and you still turned me away once more. You fuelled the fire within me so to speak and I desperately wanted you to feel the pain and the hurt that you had bestowed upon me so ruthlessly."

"I had no idea. I..."

"Of course you had no idea," Chuck echoed.

He pulled away from her and stared at the ceiling, closing his eyes as he finished off with the truth.

"That night, I went down to the pool as usual and dove in. I heard your voice again, but this time, I refused to let myself up for air. The moments where I almost caved, I reminded myself of that night when you rescued me from the rooftop. You said..."

"I don't want you going anywhere. I couldn't bear it," she finished for him, knowing exactly which lines he wanted to refer to.

Chuck nodded without even glancing in her direction.

"I knew my death would hurt you the most and if it didn't, then I would have at least freed myself from the chains of a nightmare. I was tired Blair. I didn't want to fight anymore."

He turned to look at her then and he could see that she hated herself for what had happened. He still loved her, but he wouldn't be able to admit that to her just yet. His recently mended heart wouldn't allow it. The most he could bring himself to do was to let her know that he had forgiven her for all that had happened.

"I forgive you Blair," he whispered, taking her hand in his. "I just need time to fully let go of what happened and I need to do it on my own."

Blair gripped his hand firmly to let him know that she would give him all the time he needed.

"So," she perked up, forcing herself to smile. "How about we start up that movie?"

A melancholic smile graced his chiseled face.

"Actually, could I have a few moments alone?" he requested.

Blair sat up on the bed and nodded her consent.

"I'll be in the kitchen getting us some snacks for the movie," she informed him.

She walked out of the room, careful to maintain a smile upon her angelic face. She made her way into the kitchen to find that Dorota had been attentive enough to prepare their favorite snacks for them. She reached for the tray only to be distracted by her own reflection in the polished marble of the counter. Her hair was a mess and her eyes were dull. Her cheeks were still wet from her tears and she felt an emptiness take over her senses as she continued to stare at her reflection.

She placed a hand over her mouth to muffle her sobs. She was disgusting. How could she have hurt him like this? How could he even look at her anymore? She had broken him and deep down she knew she would never be able to fix him. She turned her back to the counter and collapsed onto the floor, allowing her emotions to take over her fragile body.

* * *

"What are you doing here Vanessa?" he asked in disdain as she approached him.

Nate reminded himself to stay strong. She had hurt him like no one ever had before. Whatever Vanessa wanted from him now, she could take a hike.

"I thought I would find you here," she explained.

"On the front steps of my house? You always were a smart girl," he spat.

He didn't want to treat her this way, but some part of him was still angry with her. He really loved her and he had even stood up for her in front of his grandfather despite his stubbornness. Yet, she had deserted him for the advancement of her career. She deserved to be treated this way. Yes, Vanessa Abrams had this coming for her.

"Nate, I came here to talk; to apologize," she started.

Nate refused to look at her, but took a seat beside her on the steps. There was a brief silence before she finally spoke up again.

"I'm sorry for what I did to you. I just..." she trailed off, trying to gather her thoughts.

"You what?" Nate asked, turning to look at her abruptly.

Nate realized his mistake the moment his eyes met her own. For a brief moment, he could see the old Vanessa again; a glimmer of the girl he had fallen in love with. He looked away immediately and stared at the ground. He could feel his resolve weaken and he quietly cursed himself for his mistake.

"I just got caught up in a lifestyle that...I had always despised about the Upper East Side," she told him. "My documentary had been such a success and my producer told me that it was the only way to survive in this business. I needed to change _me_."

"You did that pretty well I'd say," Nate snapped, a bitterness still evident in his voice.

He apologized when he saw the slight hurt in her eyes. He hated to admit it, but he still had it bad for this girl. Georgina had called it all along. He just refused to believe it. His broken heart refused to believe it.

"I did. I learned to want things. No matter how amazing my career was, I learned to be dissatisfied with my success. I wanted more and nothing was ever enough or too out of reach. I mastered the skills I needed to survive in the industry and I compromised who I was in the process," she said as-a-matter-of-factly.

"As interesting as your life story is Vanessa," Nate interrupted her. "Is this conversation going somewhere? Despite what you might think, I _do_ have a life of my own."

"Please hear me out Nate," she pleaded with him. "I promise to leave you alone the moment I'm done. You'll never have to see me again."

Nate remained silent and Vanessa took it as a sign to continue.

"I became everything I hated, but it was addictive and I felt powerful and in control whenever I used somebody to my advantage. One scheme to ruin someone turned into another and before I knew it, I was too far gone to even see myself anymore. I was turning into Blair."

"You were worse than she ever was," he informed her.

Vanessa paused and hesitated in her response.

"I was, but I've realized what I've become Nate and I'm trying to..."

"What?" Nate shot back. "You're trying to fix everything? You're trying to bring everything back to the way it was? You think you can just waltz back into my life telling me you've changed and then _everything_ will be ok?"

They looked at each other then and all the hurt and pain they had suffered through were reflected in their eyes.

"You can change the future Vanessa, but the past will always be there. It never fades away," he whispered, his voice beginning to crack.

Vanessa could see that she had really broken him and despite the fact that Georgina had knocked some sense back into her, she knew she would never be able to fix things with Nate. She could see that and the best thing she could do for him is if she walked out of his life and never looked back. With this thought in mind, she stood up and slowly began to walk away. She turned back one last time to look at the boy that she loved.

"I just wanted to let you know that I have planned a conference with the media tomorrow. I plan to make the appropriate apologies to the people I have wronged and resign. I'm going to rebuild my life Nate and I know you couldn't care less about any of this anymore, but I just really wanted to come here to apologize," she stuttered nervously. "I wanted you to know how sorry I was for breaking your heart; for taking advantage of your love for me."

Out of the corner of his eye, Nate saw a familiar face. He could see Georgina standing there in the distance. He offered her a tiny smile, but she merely waved at him and gave him a curt nod in return.

Nate finally understood why Vanessa had suddenly shown up on his doorstep overflowing with apologies. Georgina had most definitely played a hand in this. She had wanted to make him happy and she was simply helping him along his way.

Seeing her across the street in that moment, he knew that Georgina was trying to help him realize that he needed Vanessa as much as she needed him. No matter how much he hated Vanessa for what she had done to him, he would always love her. They would never really be able to love anyone else.

Who was _he_ to be mad at her really? He had done some pretty bad things in the past. Sleeping with a married woman being one of them. Vanessa had looked past all of that when they had started dating, so who was _he_ to turn her away like this? She had apologized. She had repented for what she had done just as he had fir his past mistakes.

"Wait! Vanessa!" he called out after her and she turned around to address him.

Before she could say anything, his lips were on hers and she kissed him back with everything she had. He pulled back after a moment, both of them gasping for air.

"Don't leave me again," he demanded as he pulled her into his chest.

"I won't," Vanessa promised as she desperately tried to choke back her sobs.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Georgina standing in the distance. Their eyes locked for a brief moment and they shared a knowing smile. Georgina slipped on her sunglasses and sauntered off down the street. She was happy that Nate was happy. Her work here was done.

* * *

"Blair?" Chuck called out for her as he made his way downstairs.

Blair could hear him coming and quickly wiped her tears, trying to make herself more presentable. She pasted a smile on her face and picked up the snack tray, walking out of the kitchen to meet him.

"Sorry," she apologized. "I got carried away with the snacks."

Chuck looked at her in concern. He knew she had been crying, but she was trying so hard to keep it from him that he didn't want to upset her any further. They had both been through enough for one night. Just as he was about to reach for her, the sound of the elevator interrupted his thoughts.

"Blair, I need to talk to you," Serena said urgently, running towards them. "I know you two are on a date and I'm sorry for messing it up, but..."

Before she could finish her sentence, the elevator doors opened once again. Carter stepped out of the doors this time and Chuck found himself subconsciously clenching his fists.

"Blair," Carter started. "I finally got your text. I thought we could talk."

The older boy stopped short when he saw Chuck and Serena in the room.

"Nice to see you Bass and Serena, you look lovely as always."

Serena gave him a polite smile and turned back towards Blair as Chuck and Carter continued to stare at one another neither of them willing to look away.

"Blair, I need to talk to you about Dan," Serena informed her.

"I don't think you have anything to say to Blair Carter," Chuck seethed.

"She dumped me for you Bass, but you can't stop us from being friends," Carter countered.

Blair looked frantically between the two as she tried to absorb everything that Serena was trying to tell her. The room started spinning as their voices began to cloud her mind.

"I'm friends with him again, but I need your help B."

"You stay away from her. You hear me Carter?"

"What are you going to do about it Bass?"

The sound of a tray clattering to the floor echoed through the room.

"Miss Blair!" Dorota shouted as she witnessed the brunette collapse before her eyes.

"B!"

"Blair!"

"Blair!"

The voices continued to echo around her as her world faded to a monotonous black.

* * *

Abby held the box in her hands and peered inside. She had remained invisible the entire time, but she needed to check up on the status of their mission before she left for the night. Sure enough, some parts of the necklace had started to reappear. They would be back in the past in no time.

_**Spotted: Chuck, Serena, and Carter all visiting our Queen B in the same night. Looks like Blair Waldorf has bitten off more than she can chew. Careful B! Juggling a boyfriend, a best friend, and an ex-boyfriend can really take a toll on your body. Trouble is cooking. Let's just hope no one will come out burnt. You know you love me.**_

_**XOXO Gossip Girl**_


	8. The Trouble With Love

**A/N:** I hope you enjoy this chapter. Reviews would be loved. Who would you like to be endgame? Nate and Vanessa or Nate and Georgina?

**The Trouble With Love**

* * *

Her eyes fluttered open and she found herself standing in a white room. There were no doors and no windows. There seemed to be no escape.

"Hello?" Blair called out to no one in particular.

There was no answer. The echo of her own voice clouded her mind and the brunette brought her knees to her chest in an attempt to protect herself; to comfort herself. Where _was_ she? She recalled briefly that she had fainted and that her world had faded into a monotonous black. It was ironic though that she now found herself in a completely white room.

"Hello?" she called out again.

This time a figure appeared before her and she found herself face to face with Abby once more. The brunette stood up immediately, a look of anger flashing across her face.

"Where the _hell_ am I Abby?" Blair demanded to know.

Abby smiled as a form of reassurance.

"You will wake up as soon as I finish talking to you. I thought I should brief you on how everything needs to be done. We only have one shot to go back to the past Blair."

She flipped her brown curls over her shoulder and motioned for Abby to continue.

"Carter is here because he finally saw your text message. You need to ensure that he leaves the Upper East Side."

"Why?" Blair questioned.

"Without you keeping him here, he would have left. Carter would have found..." Abby trailed off in hesitation.

"Found what?" she urged.

Abby shook her head in response. "Carter will tell you soon enough what he plans to do and you must encourage him to do it. Once he leaves, some of what should have happened will be restored."

Blair was utterly too tired and weak to argue with her or press her for more information. She allowed her to continue her speech.

"Serena is here about Dan," Abby continued when she received no resistance from the brunette.

"I was about to ask you about that actually," Blair interrupted her. "When I rejected Chuck, Dan and Serena were broken up. Why would I want for them to reunite?"

"You told her about the Miss Carr and Dan having sex in the costume closet incident, remember?" Abby asked, trying to refresh her memory. "She slapped him and then the two of you made that pact. Serena would have taken him back and they would have reunited by now without the new Blair Waldorf."

"How about we skip the blame game Abby?" Blair suggested, frost cascading down the sides of her every word.

She was sick and tired of hearing that everything was her fault because the worst part of it was that everything _was_ her fault. All she had wanted was to fix her own life. She had never intentionally wanted to sabotage the lives of other people, especially the ones she truly cared about.

"Have you finished briefing me yet?" Blair questioned, irritation evident in her voice.

Abby smiled. "Remember Blair. Carter needs to leave the Upper East Side. Serena and Dan must reunite and Dan must attend Yale next year."

With that, she began to fade away and Blair found herself alone in the white room once again. It was eerily silent until she heard Chuck whisper her name repeatedly. _Blair. Blair. Blair._

* * *

"Chuck!" she screamed as she clutched onto the sheets for support.

He rushed to her bedside immediately to help her sit up.

"I'm here Blair," he told her. "Are you feeling alright? You just blacked out. I was so..."

He looked so distraught and Blair couldn't help but smile to herself. She knew Chuck still loved her even if he was still too broken to admit it to her face; to say it out loud.

"I'm fine Chuck," she assured him as she fixed his tousled hair. "Would it be alright if I had a few moments alone with Carter?"

Chuck's eyes glazed over and he held her hand protectively.

"Why?" he grunted.

"I just need a few moments with him Chuck," Blair repeated, her tone adamant and demanding.

The look in her eyes told him that this request was not to be denied, so he did the only thing he could and nodded. He walked out of her room reluctantly with Serena close at his heels. He spun around for a just a brief moment to face Carter.

"I will be _right_ outside this door Baizen. If you so much as _touch_ her, I will..."

"I get it Bass. For the millionth time, Blair and I are just friends now," Carter reiterated as he walked over to Blair's side.

Chuck remained unconvinced and he hated himself for being so insecure. Serena threw him an encouraging glance and the two closed the door behind them.

"Carter," Blair started.

"It's fine Blair. We were fake dating anyway. Our fake break-up would have happened sooner or later," he told her.

Blair nodded and much to her dismay Carter remained silent. Didn't Abby say he would tell her of some sort of plan?

"So, are you planning to go anywhere? Do you have any important plans coming up?" Blair urged.

Carter raised an eyebrow at her random questions.

"Why do you ask Blair?" he asked curiously.

Blair giggled to mask her ulterior motive. "You're always a man with a plan!"

Carter laughed at her response.

"A friend of mine has always wanted to find her father. We almost had him this one time, but he escaped from our grasp. I plan to track him down again with the help of my PI of course."

"Who is this friend of yours exactly? You must care about her a lot to do this for her," Blair stated.

Carter shook his head. "It's not my place to tell you who she is Blair, but I _do_ care about her just like I care about you. You let me know if Chuck hurts you again. He may think he's well-connected, but I am as well."

Blair laughed. "Thanks Carter, but that won't be necessary. Are you leaving anytime soon?"

"Well, there's no rush really," he responded, shrugging his shoulders.

"I think you should go as soon as possible."

"Do you want to get rid of me that badly?" Carter teased.

Blair shook her head. "No, but I think you should find your friend's father as soon as you can."

"Blair, is there something going on that I should know about? You seem pretty persistent on my departure."

"No!" Blair assured him. "I just...I know how important my father is to me. I just can't imagine living a life without knowing who my father is, you know?"

She looked him intently in the eyes, hoping her explanation was decent enough. Carter smiled then and Blair breathed a sigh of relief.

"I suppose you're right. You get some rest. I'll call you when I can," he promised as he stood up to leave.

"Thanks again Carter – for everything."

He waved at her one last time before heading out the door. Chuck and Serena reappeared by her side moments later.

"What was that all about?" Chuck inquired almost immediately.

"He was just telling me he was leaving."

"Oh yeah? Where to?" Chuck challenged her.

"He's helping a friend find her father."

Serena froze upon hearing this, although the two brunettes failed to notice.

"Did he track him down again?"

Blair crinkled her nose in confusion. "What do you mean _again_ S? How do you know he already tried to track him down _once_?"

Serena swallowed hard before giving her best friend a reply, "He mentioned it once. We were at this party. I forget which one."

Blair shrugged, accepting her answer.

"So S, are you and Humphrey friends again?"

"Yes! That's why I came over here. I know you said I should just leave the rest to you, but I thought we could come up with the next step of the plan together."

"Hold up!" Chuck interrupted the blond. "Did everyone miss the part where my girlfriend hit the floor about an hour ago? She _just_ woke up for crying out loud! She needs her rest. She is _not_ doing any scheming for the rest of the night!"

Serena rolled her eyes at his dramatics, but Blair turned to look at him with nothing but adoration in her chocolate eyes. He clearly cared so much for her still.

"I'm fine Chuck," Blair insisted. "I really need to...I mean, I want to help Serena with this. She's my best friend."

"You can help her tomorrow or something. It's getting late and I don't need you fainting again," Chuck retorted. "I'm going to take care of you like you took care of me."

Blair took his hands in hers and stared at him with her doe eyes, careful to frame her face with the perfect pout.

"Chuck," she purred, saying his name like a plea.

Chuck groaned. "You win Waldorf, but I'm staying here to keep an eye on you two. You can plan your schemes as much as you want tonight, but you are staying in bed. You will _not_ execute your plans until tomorrow and that is absolutely non-negotiable."

"Yes sir!" Serena shouted dramatically as Blair fell into a fit of giggles.

* * *

"Hello?" Georgina spoke into her phone.

"Hey! It's Nate," he answered on the other end of the line. "I...Thank you for bringing Vanessa back to me."

There was a slight pause.

"You're welcome. Now, is that all?" she asked, a crispness creeping into her voice.

Georgina didn't want to be so cold towards him, but she needed to completely destroy any relations between them. When she had seen Vanessa and Nate kissing earlier in the day, something inside of her had snapped. Her heart was racing uncontrollably and she felt all the heat in her body explode through her head. She knew it was jealousy, but why she had such a feeling was beyond her. Georgina Sparks was not jealous of anyone and certainly not of Vanessa Abrams. Georgina Sparks had not fallen for the golden-haired boy because Georgina Sparks did _not_ fall in love at least not anymore. Once had been more than enough.

"No," Nate informed her.

"Well?" Georgina urged for him to continue.

"Never mind. Just thank you," he repeated.

He hung up before she could even utter a word, although honestly, she had no idea what to say.

* * *

"This plan is going to work S! I just know it!" Blair exclaimed, already feeling much better than she had before.

"Thank you B," Serena echoed her excitement. "Let's run through it one more time though."

Chuck rolled his eyes. "I'm sorry, but did I miss the part where Blair explained the scheme in Spanish? You've asked her to go over it like six times already!"

"Five," Serena corrected him.

"Whatever sis," he drawled. "Now, listen closely. You will get access to Dan's computer and save whatever writing files you may need on the USB key Blair will provide you with. We will end up making another copy of his work later. One copy will be sent to publications like The New York Times and the other will be given to Nate. We all know his grandfather has connections at Yale. He can show Dan's work to the English department. Getting him published instead is our backup plan of course. Yale will notice him then."

Blair smiled at the fact that Chuck was getting involved in their scheming. She missed scheming with him, although she knew part of his reason for involving himself so deeply was to push his nightmares as far from his mind as possible. She knew him well. He always ran; found escapes. Confrontation was a sore spot not to be dwelled upon.

"You _sure_ you want to ask Nate to help us Chuck?" Blair asked. "I think it's better if I do it."

Chuck frowned. "I've got it Blair. I think it would help with...my condition."

Serena peered at him in confusion, but Blair knew where he was coming from. Nate had always been his closest friend. Perhaps making things right with Nate again would help with the healing process. Blair was just thrilled Chuck was willing to take a step on the road to recovery.

"Chuck will do it," the brunette informed Serena.

"I do have some questions though ladies. This gets Dan into Yale most likely, but why are we not scheming instead to get _Blair_ into Yale?"

Blair remained silent upon hearing his question.

"I don't want Yale anymore," she said confidently before changing the topic immediately. "What other questions do you have?"

Chuck pursed his lips. Blair didn't want to go to Yale anymore? Something was definitely out of place, but he couldn't place his finger on it just yet. Whatever it was though, he was going to figure it out.

"Also, how does this get Dan and Serena back together? I couldn't care less, but apparently the two of you do."

"Well, helping Dan will make him grateful towards Serena maybe," Blair started.

"Hardly," Chuck responded. "Humphrey is stubborn as hell when it comes to getting help from other people, especially when connections or money is involved."

Blair shifted slightly and pulled the covers closer towards her. She knew what Chuck was saying was true, but she needed Dan to get accepted into Yale for the sake of her mission.

"Right, but you never know," Blair insisted. "People change. As for ensuring that they get back together, we need to get rid of Miss Carr."

"But she won't break up with him," Serena contributed.

"No," Chuck answered. "But if he broke up with her?"

Blair smirked. "She would have nothing else to stay _for_."

"Leave that to me. I know exactly how to convince Humphrey to come back to you sis," Chuck offered.

"Why are you hogging all the tasks?" Blair whined.

He reached over to tuck a loose curl behind her ear before answering.

"Because I think I might need this. Scheming could bring me back to the way I was," he said, a mixture of both sadness and hope in his husky voice.

Blair wanted to smile at the possibility, but her mind wouldn't allow it. Suddenly, she felt as if she were back in the white room again except this time Abby did not appear. Instead she heard the soft whisper of her voice. _We cannot turn back the hands of time. We cannot turn back the hands of time. We cannot turn back the hands of time._

* * *

Georgina shot up in bed at the sound of the doorbell. Beads of sweat were trickling down her skin, revealing the remnants of her nightmare. She had been replaying the scene over and over again in her head. She had combed her hair until it shone that day. She even picked out a new outfit for the occasion. It was the day she was going to tell Jake how she felt about him.

_Georgina approached the boy with her card in hand. She had been waiting for Valentine's Day to arrive. She knew it would be the happiest day of her life. Her classmate Candy had told her that Jake had a crush on her too. She had been over the moon when she had heard the news. Jake had a crush on her!_

"_Hi Jake," she said shyly as she approached him._

"_Hey," he greeted her. "Jessica, right?"_

"_Georgina," she corrected him, smiling._

_She had been too happy to care._

"_Is that card for me?" Jake asked, motioning towards the envelope in her hand._

"_Yes," she answered, her hands shaking slightly as she handed it to him._

_She watched him lift the flap of the envelope and slide the card out of its pocket. It had happened in a flash, but to her it had been an eternity. She heard her heart roaring in her ears and failed to notice that a lot of students had gathered round._

"_Jake, will you be my Valentine? I like you a lot. Georgina," he read out loud._

_Georgina blushed, but her face fell immediately when she heard laughter._

"_She actually fell for it," Candy shouted, doubling over with laughter._

_The blond beauty then turned towards the rest of the students who were gathered to watch the scene unfold before them._

"_Georgina Sparks actually thought Jake Windsor would fall in love with her!" she announced._

_Everyone burst out laughing, including Jake. Georgina stood there trembling, willing herself not to cry, but the first tear fell anyway._

_Candy patted her on the shoulder in fake concern._

"_Are you crying? I'm sorry for laughing at you and humiliating you in front of everyone."_

_Georgina looked up for a brief moment about to accept her apology when Candy spoke once more._

"_Not!"_

_The crowd burst into laughter upon hearing Candy's statement. Something inside of her snapped then and Georgina stalked over to the blond, wiping her tears from her eyes on the way over. She grabbed the girl's shoulders and shoved her hard up against the wall._

"_Congratulations bitch. You're now on my list," she seethed._

_The students grew quiet and murmured amongst themselves. Meanwhile, Candy had slid to the floor, clearly afraid of the girl before her._

"_As for the rest of you," Georgina warned as she spun around to face the other students. "Take this as a warning. Never cross Georgina Sparks. Believe me. There will be hell to pay."_

_With that, she had walked off with her head held high._

Georgina smiled slightly at the memory. She had ended up keeping her end of the bargain. Candy was so afraid of her that she had transferred schools and no one ever dared cross her again. Everyone feared her and Georgina was more than fine with that. Emotions were a liability. Love was a liability and she had learned that at a young age. Living a life where everyone feared you, however, was often a lonely one. To this day, the heinous laughter of her classmates still haunted her and it was the only thing that fueled the continuation of her facade.

She heard the front door open then and she crawled out of bed immediately. Someone was trying to break into her house! She opened the bedroom door and screamed.

"Hey! Calm down!" Nate cried. "It's me. I have a key, remember?"

He held her against his chest and she released the breath she had no idea she had been holding.

"Did you have that nightmare again?" Nate asked.

Georgina nodded against his shirt. She had only told him that there was a nightmare that constantly haunted her, but he didn't know the details. No one could ever know about her humiliation. Then, people would actually understand _why_ she was such a cold-hearted bitch. It would make people see that she was actually quite vulnerable. No. Georgina Sparks would never let that happen.

She pulled back from their embrace. "Nate? What are you doing here?"

"I miss you," he said without missing a beat.

"What are you talking about Nate? What you and I had was purely physical. You have Vanessa now."

Nate forced her to look at him and caressed the curve of her cheeks.

"My mind knows that, but..."

"Nate, I need you to leave," she whispered.

"Vanessa and I almost had _sex_, but I couldn't bring myself to go through with it. I don't even know _why_! I'm as confused as you are!" he shouted.

Emotions are a liability. Love is a liability. She continued to chant inside her head.

"_I'm_ not confused about us. The sex was great. We were fuck buddies Nate! We can never be anything more than that!" she yelled.

Hurt flashed in his eyes for a moment, but he quickly masked his emotions. He kissed her hard on the lips and thrust his tongue inside her mouth, tasting her. She kissed him back with the same urgency as a soft moan escaped from the hollow of her throat. Nate pulled back suddenly, leaving her with a feeling of emptiness once again.

"You're right," Nate whispered as he forced himself to hold back his tears. "We were just fuck buddies. I belong with Vanessa."

It was clear that Georgina didn't love him in the way that he seemed to have fallen for her. He would leave with his head held high though. He turned to leave then and Georgina stood frozen in place until she heard the front door slam shut. She crumbled to the ground and did the one thing she never allowed anyone see her do. She cried.


	9. Stand By Me

**A/N:** I hope you enjoy this chapter. Feedback would be highly appreciated. A special thank you to all those who have reviewed this story in the past.

**Stand By Me**

* * *

Blair woke to the sound of her ringing phone. Who could possibly be calling her this early in the morning? She told Serena she would meet up with her at school and Chuck was in the bathroom taking a shower. She finally conceded and reached over to the side table to retrieve her phone.

"Hello?" Blair called out in frustration as she answered the call.

"Good morning Blair," Carter greeted her in return.

"Carter? Where are you?" she asked in concern. "Are you in some kind of trouble?"

"Not at all," he replied. "I'm boarding my flight actually. It seems my PI was able to track down my friend's father in Fiji."

"That's great!" the brunette commented.

"I just hope I get there in time before he decides to disappear again. Her father tends to move around a lot," he disclosed. "By the way, you'll be happy to know that you won't have to worry about that pain-in-the-ass teacher of yours anymore. I dealt with her last night."

"What?" Blair clarified.

"Miss Carr?" he repeated. "You messaged me last night, remember? You asked me to get her to break up with Dan and move back to Iowa?"

"No, I remember," she told him. "I'm just curious as to how you managed to get her to do those things. The adjective stubborn is an understatement for her."

"My methods are for me to know and for you to find out. Why does it matter how I got her to do both those things anyway? She dumped Dan, didn't she? She's back in Iowa, isn't she?" he questioned.

Blair realized what he was saying was true. Why _should_ she care about his methods as long as Miss Carr was out of her hair now? It wasn't as if she and Abby were staying in this future for the long run.

"You're right. Thanks for helping me out. You have no idea how grateful I am."

Carter laughed. "Anytime Blair."

There was a brief silence before he continued.

"Why _are_ you doing this for Dan by the way? I had no idea you two were even friends. I suppose he can live in peace now, although Miss Carr was quite a catch if I do say so myself. A little too baby-faced for me, but we all have our acquired tastes," he mentioned casually.

"Dan is _not_ my friend," she assured him. "I'm doing this for Serena. She wants Dan back, so Miss Carr had to go. I wanted to get rid of her for personal reasons as well of course."

"Dan is one lucky guy then. Serena is one amazing girl," Carter commented, a hint of sadness laced in his voice.

If Blair hadn't been paying careful attention to his intonation of those words, the sadness in his voice would have been barely noticeable. She could tell that Carter seemed to have taken a shine to Serena. It wasn't a surprise really. Who _wasn't_ mesmerized by the blond beauty except for maybe Chuck? Suddenly, something occurred to her that she had never thought of before.

"Carter?"

"Yeah?" he answered.

"You're looking for Serena's father, aren't you?" she murmured.

There was another silence before he spoke again.

"I'll call you when I can Blair," Carter merely responded, hanging up on his end of the line.

Blair kept her phone to her ear until she heard the unmistakable beat of the dial tone. She hoped Carter would be successful in finding Serena's father for her. She knew Serena had always had that hole in her heart that even she couldn't fill.

"Who was that?" Chuck asked cautiously as he stepped out of the bathroom.

Blair smiled at the sight of him. The sex had been amazing last night. It had been so electrifying that both of them had forgotten their worries and their troubles if only for a moment. Chuck had insisted that she needed her rest, but she had been able to persuade him otherwise. Standing there with only a towel swung loosely across his hips, she wanted him to ravish her all over again. The look on his face though told her that this was certainly not the time for that.

"Carter," Blair answered truthfully.

Chuck frowned upon hearing that name. He clearly had no appreciation for such honesty. His frown eventually turned into a full out scowl and Blair was slightly afraid of the conversation that was to come.

"Carter?" he asked in contempt.

"Chuck, you know we're just friends now," Blair reasoned. "I messaged Carter last night and asked him to lend a hand with the whole Miss Carr business is all. He was just calling me to let me know that he got Miss Carr to dump Dan and move back to Iowa."

"I thought _I_ was going to take care of Miss Carr," he seethed. "Why don't you just come out and say it Blair? Is Carter somehow more competent than I am in your eyes? Am I inferior to him in some kind of way? Does a record of suicide suddenly make me fucking _useless_ in helping you with your schemes?"

Blair was taken aback from his sudden change in behaviour.

"Chuck! You know that's not true!" Blair shouted, jumping out of bed and stalking towards him.

His only response was a cold stare and slamming the bathroom door in her face.

"Chuck," she pleaded with him on the other side of the door. "Please don't act like this. You're being extremely pig-headed right now."

"I'm sorry I can't act the way you want me to _princess_," he snarled. "I'm not your bitch. Maybe you should crawl back to Carter."

Blair bit her lower lip and held back a tear at the harshness of his voice. She knew the suicide made him oversensitive about certain things and that he would have constant bouts of insecurity. She had been secretly consulting a psychologist on the side who had told her that the best thing she could do for him was to support him. There wasn't much more _anyone_ could do to help him heal really. He needed to do that himself and most importantly he needed time. Blair sucked in a breath to compose herself and tried to level his emotions again.

"Chuck, I just didn't want you to overexert yourself," Blair explained. "I mean, you're already planning to make things right with Nate today and convince him to help us and everything."

There was an eerie silence and Blair panicked slightly afraid of what he could be doing in the bathroom. Any hint of running water and she would barge her way in.

"Chuck," she cooed. "I love you. You know Carter means nothing to me. You're twice the man he'll ever be. Besides, I was just fake dating him."

She heard him unlock the door then and he stepped out of the threshold soon enough. He was now fully dressed.

"I'm a _billion_ times the man that sleazeball will ever be," Chuck responded.

"Of course," Blair assured him.

"Were you really just fake dating Carter?" he added, displaying his signature smirk.

Blair blushed at the accusation, although she had been the one to spill her own secret. She was just happy his emotions had stabilized.

"Yes," she whispered. "At first, I only fake dated him to convince you that the old Blair Waldorf was truly dead and gone, but then you started dating Georgina for real. You were so happy and I didn't want to seem miserable without you."

Chuck wrapped his arms tightly around her as she laid her head against his chest. There was something familiar and comforting in their embrace and they both relished every moment of it.

They continued to hold one another in this way until Chuck gently reminded her, "We're going to be late for school Blair."

The brunette nodded against his shirt and then released her hold on him.

"Will you grab us some breakfast from the kitchen Chuck? I'll meet you in the limo."

"Of course," he promised her, kissing her gently on the cheek before leaving the room.

"Chuck?" she called after him.

"Yeah?" he asked, turning back around to face her.

"I love you."

"Thank you," he whispered before walking out the door.

Blair smiled at his retreating figure in spite of how hurt she was. He still refused to say those three words back to her. This time she took a deep breath to level her _own_ emotions. The psychologist had said he needed time, so Blair was determined to give him that. She would be strong. She quickly made her way into the bathroom to prepare for school. Normally, she wouldn't have given it a second thought, but she noticed that the bathtub was filled to the rim with water and that towels had been laid on the floor to soak up the overflow.

"How did I not hear the water running?" Blair wondered out loud to herself.

"It happened last night," Abby began to explain from behind her.

Blair jumped at the sound of her voice.

"Gee Abby! A warning would have been nice," Blair informed her.

"Sorry," Abby muttered apologetically.

"What do you _mean_ it happened last night?" Blair questioned, returning to the situation at hand.

"Well," Abby started. "After your exhausting activities with Chuck, you both fell asleep except he had his nightmares again."

"You were _watching_ us?" Blair asked, crinkling her nose in disgust.

"Of course not!" Abby shouted. "I respect people's privacy."

It was ironic considering her secret identity and what said secret identity entailed, but she had respected Chuck and Blair's privacy last night to be sure.

"Anyway," she continued. "He was having those nightmares again and he woke up slightly disoriented. I followed him into the bathroom to find him filling the tub with water. I was invisible to him of course."

"Go on," Blair urged, the anticipation nearly killing her.

"Nothing happened really. He just stared at the water as it overflowed from the tub and then suddenly, he turned off the faucet and went back to bed. He laid towels on the floor to soak up the mess beforehand, but that didn't make the scene any less disturbing Blair."

"Why didn't you wake me up or something Abby?" Blair accused her.

"I was too entranced by what he was doing," Abby defended herself. "The look he had in his eyes was _beyond_ creepy. You have _no_ idea. It was like he was possessed. I'm not so sure we can fix him. I'm not so sure _you_ can fix him."

"We have to!" Blair protested. "_I_ have to or we'll never return to the past!"

"It isn't really the past if you think about it. It's more like the present because really our present is the past only respectively to this future, which is oddly our present for the time being," Abby blabbered on.

"You know what I mean," Blair snapped. "I'll talk to you later Abby. I need to get to school. Chuck's waiting for me in the limo."

"You just follow through with your plans regarding Dan and whatnot," Abby reminded her. "I'll see if I can figure out a way to fix Chuck. I think we'll need to call in reinforcements for that and by reinforcements, I mean Georgina Sparks. She's still working for you, isn't she?"

Blair paused in her steps. "Georgina? How will _she_ know how to fix Chuck?"

"She doesn't, but she can certainly find out. Think about it Blair. Who would Chuck trust more with all the details, attached feelings, and consequences of his suicide?" Abby reasoned.

Blair thought it over. It made sense that Chuck would spill his guts to Georgina rather than her. She had abandoned him and Georgina had been there not to mention the fact that she had heard through the grapevine that Georgina had been through a similar ordeal. She didn't like what Abby was proposing, but it was their best bet for now.

"Well, you were the one who got Georgina involved in the first place," Blair noted. "I trust that you know what you're doing considering the fact that she successfully reunited Nate and Vanessa."

Abby smiled and began to fade away in response. Blair stared at the empty space where Abby stood for a moment before grabbing her purse and heading for the door.

* * *

"Blair," Penelope called after the brunette as she trudged down the hall. "Did you get my text message? We need you to approve a theme for our prom."

Hazel and Isabel nodded from behind her.

Blair rolled her eyes. "Alright. What were you girls thinking?"

Penelope's face lit up when she had her full attention.

"We were thinking an under the sea kind of thing," she squealed. "Just think about all the beautiful decor we could have."

The look on Blair's face told her that that was not an option.

"What about setting the place up like a fashion runway event?" Isabel spoke up. "It would be so glamorous."

Blair remained unresponsive. Penelope rolled her eyes and Isabel kept quiet as Hazel took a stab at pleasing their queen.

"I was actually thinking a fairytale theme," she offered. "It would be quite magical."

Hazel glanced nervously at Blair until the Queen B actually smiled.

"That theme I approve of," Blair stated. "Good work Hazel. Now if you'll excuse me ladies, I have better things to do with my time than entertain you lot."

She walked off in the direction of the library then as Isabel congratulated Hazel and Penelope merely gave her the stink eye. Blair only liked the fairytale theme because it would work perfectly with the ideas she had dreamed up in her old scrapbook. The only difference was that her prince charming had changed. With that confession in mind, she walked through the double doors of the library. It turned out that finding Humphrey among the masses would be more of a challenge than she had hoped for.

"Blair," Serena whispered from behind one of the bookshelves.

"Serena, what are you doing?" Blair hissed.

"He's over there," Serena told her, pointing at Dan. "He's using his laptop right now. You need to distract him somehow."

"Duh Serena. I'm on it," the brunette assured her.

Blair casually strode over to where Dan was sitting. "Humphrey."

"Blair? Can I help you with something?" he asked, confused as to why she was talking to him.

The old Blair Waldorf almost never did and the new Blair Waldorf _definitely_ never did.

"Humphrey, you helping me would entail your disappearance," she answered him sarcastically. "The headmistress would like to see both of us in her office."

"Am I in trouble?" Dan asked in concern.

"Who knows? Come on Humphrey," Blair urged. "We don't want to keep her waiting."

Dan began to unplug his laptop hurriedly.

"Leave it," Blair demanded. "Nobody is going to take it Humphrey. That model is so old."

Dan rolled his eyes, although Blair did have a point. He got up and followed her without complaint as Serena slipped out from behind a cart of books and took his seat. This was going to be a piece of cake.

* * *

"Thanks for meeting me Nate," Chuck exclaimed as the blond took a seat next to him on the bench.

"Sure thing man," he said.

There was a moment of silence before Nate spoke up again.

"Look Chuck, I'm sorry I blamed you for what Vanessa did to me. It was her personal choice. _She_ got carried away. It had nothing to do with you."

"No," Chuck retorted. "I'm sorry Nathaniel. I shouldn't have introduced her to the right people. I just thought..."

"I know. Georgina told me," Nate interrupted him.

"Oh."

"So, you and Blair are back together huh?" Nate asked.

"Yeah," Chuck responded. "I heard about you and Vanessa as well. She really redeemed herself. That press conference was interesting to say the least."

Nate laughed. "I didn't think she'd actually apologize to everyone she had wronged in the past and resign from her world of documentaries."

"She must really love you," Chuck commented.

Nate remained silent and could only nod at his statement. He knew she did. The million dollar question, however, was if _he_ loved her anymore. He had undeniable feelings for Georgina and he had even panicked when Vanessa had confronted him about his whereabouts after he had run off last night, but did he still have feelings for Vanessa too or was he desperately trying to hold onto something that belonged in the past?

"You don't love her anymore, do you?" Chuck questioned cautiously. "I can see it in your eyes. You can tell me Nathaniel. I'm your best friend."

Nate sighed. "I don't know. You know Georgina and I had an affair, which I'm sorry about by the way."

"Don't be," Chuck assured him. "I was never really in love with her. It was purely platonic. She was just there for me during a difficult time is all."

Nate nodded and continued.

"Well, I think I'm in love with her man, but I'm not sure. I mean, I've always loved Vanessa, right? We belong together. These feelings I seem to have for Georgina are messing me up. I mean, Vanessa has mended her horrible ways for me, but it'll never be the same, you know? The damage has been done. Do you know what I'm saying?"

Chuck let out a somber chuckle. "More than you'll ever know Nathaniel, but I honestly have no solution for your problem."

Nate gave him a puzzled look at his former statement, but decided against pressing him for details. He was just happy to have shared his burden with someone.

"Thanks for listening anyway, but I'm guessing you didn't just want to meet up with me just to repair our friendship," Nate stated.

"You know me well Nathaniel," Chuck commented. "I need you to call in a favor with your grandfather and get Humphrey into Yale."

"What?" Nate asked in complete shock. "Since when do you look out for _Dan_? It would have been more believable if you had asked for this favor for Blair."

"Just trust me Nathaniel," the brunette urged. "I have my reasons."

"Consider it done then," Nate responded. "I'll still need some of his work or whatnot to show the dean or the English department or whatever. My grandfather can only do so much."

"I figured," Chuck informed him. "I have it covered. I'll give you a copy of the files when I get them."

"Alright," Nate said as he stood up to leave. "I've got class, so I'll catch up with you later."

Chuck waved him off and was about to leave himself when Nate turned back to face him.

"Hey man," Nate started.

Chuck waited for him to finish his thoughts.

"Take care of yourself," the blond muttered before continuing in the direction of his class.

* * *

_**Spotted: Chuck and Nate mending their broken friendship. The balance of the Upper East Side seems to have been restored. The theme for prom has finally been announced as well folks. I am anxiously waiting for this night of fairy tales, but the important question is who will be escorting who to this magical night? You know you love me.**_

_**XOXO Gossip Girl**_


	10. Mischief And Mayhem

**A/N:** I apologize for the slight delay. I hope you enjoy this chapter and please leave me a review. I can stretch out this story for a bit longer than I intended because I have a few twists in mind or I can begin to tie up loose ends. I would love your feedback on this as it will affect the next few chapters of the story. Thank you in advance for reading or reviewing this chapter.

**Mischief And Mayhem**

* * *

"Blair," the blond called out after her.

She whirled around to find Jenny standing before her.

"I just wanted to thank you for..."

"No need to thank me," Blair interrupted her. "Just between you and me, the new intern was driving my mother crazy. She won't admit it of course, but she missed you."

"Thanks again Blair," she reiterated. "I mean, after losing my band _and_ Eric, all I really have is school and this internship."

The blond looked so sad that Blair actually wanted to comfort her.

"Do you want to talk about it?" she asked genuinely.

Jenny looked up at her in shock.

"Really?" Jenny confirmed. "I mean, I know you're probably busy planning the prom and whatnot, but I could really use someone to talk to."

"Why not? I have some time," Blair assured her.

This would be the perfect opportunity to ask Jenny if Dan had gotten into Yale. She hadn't had a chance to talk to Serena yet and Blair was _really_ anxious to know. They had ended up needing to use their back-up plan after all. Every newspaper, magazine or journal found no interest in Dan's work. It was to say the least frustrating, but Nate had come through for them. She hoped the English department at Yale was impressed with his work, especially since Chuck had been careful to give Nate only his latest works. What was the point in sending any writing he had already sent in the first time around?

"Thanks Blair," Jenny told her gratefully as they walked into the ice cream shop.

"So, what happened between you and Eric exactly? I mean, have you two been going out for long? I haven't really been paying attention," Blair mentioned casually.

It was more like she had no idea _at all_ until she had landed in this warped world.

"Well, Eric found out that Jonathan had cheated on him again. I was sort of there for him and then one thing led to another," she stuttered.

"Go on," Blair urged, smiling at her encouragingly.

"He decided that he had feelings for me. He figured he was bisexual. We had a fun run I guess," Jenny said, her voice tainted with sadness.

Blair nodded sympathetically. "Why did he break up with you? I'm assuming he was the one who dumped you since you said _you_ lost _him_."

"He was the one who ended it," Jenny affirmed. "Do you remember me mentioning Abby? You hang out with her sometimes."

"She stole your band, right?" Blair questioned. "I remember. What about her?"

"Last night, there was a battle of the bands event in Brooklyn. Eric and I decided to go and _her_ band was there," Jenny informed her.

Blair could hear the disdain in her voice as she said _her_ band, but she shook it off. She waited in silence until the blond decided to speak again.

"She wrote a song and dedicated it to Eric and Jonathan," Jenny continued. "It was about the importance of forgiveness. It was such an emotional song and everyone in the audience was so touched by it or whatever. I think you can piece together the rest of the story."

Blair scoffed in disbelief. "You're telling me that Eric and Jonathan reunited because they heard this song?"

Jenny nodded. "I swear that girl Abby is out to get me. I don't even know her!"

"Jenny, could you order a double chocolate ice cream for me? I need to use the bathroom. Thanks," Blair said as she made her leave quickly.

She made sure to lock the bathroom door behind her before shouting for the spirit.

"Abby!" Blair called out. "Abby! I need to talk to you!"

"I'm here! Stop yelling!" Abby shouted in return.

Blair spun around to find her sitting by one of the sinks.

"You didn't tell me you got Eric and Jonathan back together!" Blair squealed, pulling her into a tight hug.

"Whoa!" Abby cried, pushing her away. "There's _way_ too much love going on here."

"Sorry," Blair mumbled as she took a step back from their embrace.

"You're not actually _surprised_ I'm helping, right?" Abby questioned. "You know I'm on your side and besides, you can't possibly do this alone Blair. That's the problem with you. You hesitate to depend on people. Sometimes getting help doesn't make you weak Blair. It makes you smart."

"I guess you're right," Blair answered. "Thanks for dealing with Eric and Jonathan by the way, but I kind of feel bad for Jenny."

"Don't," Abby reminded her. "This isn't really our world, remember? You can't mix emotions up in all of this. We need to keep our objective clear in our minds or we could _really_ mess all of this up. Jenny won't remember a thing when we go back to the past."

"Yeah," Blair agreed. "Wait! _No one_ will remember any of this?"

"Nope. We will be the only ones that do," Abby informed her. "You'd better get back out there. Jenny will think you have diarrhea or something if you stay in here any longer."

"Thanks for the visual Abby," Blair commented sarcastically. "I'm about to have double chocolate ice cream."

The brunette began walking towards the door when Abby called her back for a moment.

"Hey Blair," she started. "Did Serena mention if Dan got accepted into Yale yet?"

"No," the brunette responded. "But I was planning to ask Jenny right now. I mean, she's here. Why not?"

Abby nodded in consent. "Don't forget to cash in that favor!"

Blair smacked the palm of her hand against her own forehead.

"That actually totally slipped my mind," Blair informed her. "Thanks Abby."

"Anytime Blair," Abby assured her before she faded away.

Blair walked out of the restroom only to find Serena in her seat enjoying a large helping of strawberry ice cream.

"Serena," Blair greeted her as she took the seat next to her. "What are you doing here?"

"I was just asking Jenny if Dan got accepted into Yale because he hasn't mentioned anything to me," Serena explained.

"Well?" Blair urged.

"He did!" Serena squealed. "Our plan worked!"

"Your plan?" Jenny asked. "_You two_ are responsible for getting him into Yale?"

Blair rolled her eyes. "Don't look so shocked Jenny. I mean, did you honestly think Yale would still be accepting students at this time of the year?"

"Not to mention the fact that his acceptance was revoked. Wouldn't you find it odd that they suddenly decided to reinstate his acceptance?" Serena added.

Jenny continued to stare at them in awe. "How did you two pull it off though?"

"We had help from Nate or rather his grandfather," Blair explained.

"He was able to pull a few strings with the dean and we were also able to obtain and send in some of..."

"_Oh my gosh!_" Jenny exclaimed. "When you told Dan the headmistress wanted to see both of you, it was a distraction! I bet Serena gained access to his laptop in the time frame that the two of you were gone."

Blair smirked at the blond. "I'm impressed Jenny. You would make a great successor to my throne."

"_What?_" Jenny stuttered. "Is this a joke?"

"Not at all," Blair assured her. "I choose you to be my queen Jenny, but you would need to prove yourself one last time to me of course."

Serena looked at Blair quizzically, but the brunette ignored her glances, waiting patiently for Jenny's response.

"Alright," Jenny agreed. "What do I have to do?"

* * *

"Have you asked Blair to go to the prom with you yet?" Nate asked as he strolled beside his best friend.

"Not yet," Chuck responded. "But I plan to."

Nate peered over at the brunette and even _he_ could tell that there was more to his mind than that.

"You want to talk about it man?" Nate offered.

Chuck pondered over this for a moment and ultimately decided to confide in his best friend.

"I plan to tell her I love her at the prom," he said as-a-matter-of-factly.

"Oh," Nate commented. "I thought...Never mind."

Chuck rolled his eyes at the blond before opening his mouth to speak.

"I know Georgina told you about my suicide attempt Nathaniel. I can read you like an open book," Chuck reminded him.

Nate blushed. He felt like a kid who had just been caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

"Sorry man," he murmured.

"Her rejection still hurts and I admit I hated her for a long time after my pathetic failed suicide attempt, but I realized recently that I _do_ still love her. No matter how much or how many times she hurts me, I will still love her because we're Chuck and Blair. Blair and Chuck. We're not the same without each other," Chuck drug on.

"Wow," Nate mentioned casually. "That was really...deep."

Chuck laughed. "I have this huge plan. She will be _beyond_ thrilled Nathaniel. Her prom night will be exactly like the night she had always imagined in her scrapbook minus you as her prince charming of course."

Nate joined him in laughter. "That would be best. You two really belong together."

"Thanks," Chuck answered somberly.

The two of them continued to walk side by side in silence until Nate decided to speak up again.

"Your suicide attempt still haunts you, doesn't it?" Nate pried.

Chuck heard his question, but he didn't want to answer it. He knew what the answer was. Of course it still haunted him! How could it not? He was working on it though. The problem was that it hurt to look at Blair sometimes because she served as a reminder of the past and how she had hurt him; how she had led him to hurt _himself_.

"Are you asking Vanessa to the prom?" Chuck wondered, deliberately trying to change the subject.

Nate wanted to press him into talking about his suicide because he had heard that talking about these things was really the best form of therapy. The look on Chuck's face at the moment told him that he had better drop the issue for now though. If Chuck wanted to talk to him about his suicide, he would.

"Yeah, I guess so," Nate told him. "I mean, that would be the logical thing to do, right?"

"I see your Vanessa or Georgina dilemma is still clouding your mind," Chuck offered.

Nate sighed. "Does it matter? Georgina made it very clear that I was just her fuck buddy."

Chuck smiled. He _actually_ smiled. He could tell that Nate had it bad for the devil and he was happy that Nate had found someone he loved.

"You know Nate," Chuck started. "Have you ever considered that Georgina may simply be too scared to fall in love again? I should know. People like Georgina and I push the people we love away because we're afraid they'll get too close; we're afraid they'll wake up one day and realize that they could be doing so much better than us."

"That's not true," Nate assured him.

"Maybe you need to let her know that," Chuck advised before leaving his best friend to his thoughts.

* * *

"Why would Blair want me to reunite my dad with Lily?" Jenny asked.

Serena shrugged. "I have no idea. I mean, it _does_ seem like a fairly odd task, but you want to be queen next year, don't you?"

Jenny sighed. "Only so that I can abolish the monarchy once and for all."

Serena smiled. "Who cares what Blair's intentions are really? I think we both know our parents are still in love with each other."

Jenny nodded her head in complete agreement. "I know my dad chose the whole tour thing over Lily, but he really does miss her a lot."

"My mother is miserable as well," Serena shared. "She spends whatever spare time she has slaving away at Bass Industries. She claims it's because she wants the company to be in tiptop shape when she hands it over to Chuck on his eighteenth birthday, but we all know it's so that she won't be thinking of Rufus all the damn time."

"Can you help me with this?" Jenny pleaded with Serena. "I can't do this alone and Blair never said I couldn't have help for this challenge."

"True," Serena said, smiling at the younger girl. "What's the plan then?"

Jenny got up from her seat on the bed and began pacing around the room.

"I was thinking I would call dad and tell him that Dan _really_ wanted him here for his graduation," Jenny started.

"What about Dan?" Serena inquired. "Rufus is bound to find out that Dan didn't actually request for his presence."

Jenny shrugged. "So, we'll get Dan in on this too. I was thinking we should plan a romantic dinner on prom night."

"No," Serena commented. "That may be too much too soon."

Jenny smiled. "Neither of them needs to know who they're having dinner with. You'll convince Lily to go on a blind date and I'll do the same with my dad."

"I don't know Jenny," Serena stated, thoroughly unconvinced with the plan. "We'd have to be _extremely_ persuasive."

"Then it's a good thing we are, isn't it?"

Serena remained silent and Jenny turned to look at who or what she was staring at. She turned her head swiftly enough to catch a glimpse of a retreating form or more precisely the retreating form of Chuck Bass.

* * *

"Georgina!" Nate called after the brunette.

"Nate," she greeted him coolly.

"Are you going to prom with anyone yet?" he questioned casually, hoping she wouldn't notice his uneven voice.

She did and her heart fluttered at the idea that he might want to ask her to such an important event.

"Why? You weren't planning to ask me, were you?" she scoffed.

She patted herself mentally on her back for maintaining her cool demeanor as she witnessed a frown develop across his features.

"No," he responded in an attempt to save his pride. "Of course I'm going with my _girlfriend_, Vanessa. I was just wondering is all."

His emphasis on the word girlfriend made her cringe, but Georgina smirked like she usually did to keep up with her facade.

"Of course," she managed to choke out. "Well, I'll see you there then. Carter is taking me actually."

"Oh really?" Nate pried, trying to figure out if she was really telling the truth or if it was all an act like Chuck had predicted.

"Really," she reiterated. "He's gone to help a friend of his find her father, but he'll be back in time for prom. _I_ asked him to be my date actually. I've always had a thing for him."

Nate felt his heart break into a million pieces as it had before upon hearing her words. Georgina could tell that she had broken his heart again, but deemed it to be necessary. He could not love her as she could not love him. It would only lead to disaster. Georgina secretly thanked the heavens that Nate had bought her act. He was such a gullible boy sometimes. It was one of many things she loved about him. She especially adored his looks of confusion.

"Right," the blond muttered. "Well, I'll see you at the prom then."

"See you," she whispered as he walked away from her.

She blinked back her tears as she watched his retreating figure and reminded herself of what she had to do today. She had promised Abby that she would talk to Chuck about his suicide and uncover what it would take for him to let that nightmare go. She had no idea _why_ Blair would need to know that, but she didn't care either. The Waldorf's fortune was more than worth all of this work on her part. Yet, the only feeling she was harboring right now was despair. She never thought she'd live to see the day where she actually wanted something _more_ than money or rather _someone_. She was in way too deep and what broke her the most was that there was no easy way out. She was in love with Nate Archibald.

* * *

Blair walked into the building to find her mother bustling around like a busy bumblebee. She approached Eleanor cautiously and tapped her on the shoulder.

"Whatever it is dear, it will have to wait," Eleanor said. "This fashion show is very important to me and nothing is near perfection yet!"

"Why is Roman one of the models Eleanor?" Harold asked as he approached the two.

"_What?_" Eleanor cried. "I am certain I did not hire him."

"I did," Blair interjected.

"_What?_"

Eleanor and Harold both cried out in unison this time.

Blair was about to explain herself when they heard a familiar voice from behind them.

"Not enough!" Cyrus shouted at one of the assistants.

"Not enough what?" the assistant questioned in confusion.

"Not enough!" Cyrus cried again.

The assistant bustled off in fear at the short man, returning to prepare a few of the female models for the runway.

"What is Cyrus doing here?" Eleanor asked, shooting a murderous glance at her husband.

"Don't look at me!" Harold protested. "I had nothing to do with this!"

They both turned to accuse their daughter only to find that she had already sneaked out of the place. Now, Eleanor, Harold, Roman, _and_ Cyrus could only stand still and stare at one another as the female models made their way onto the platform.

"Cyrus, what are you doing here?" Eleanor started.

"Blair told me you needed to see me," Cyrus explained.

Eleanor turned to share a look with Harold.

"And what did Blair tell _you_ Roman?" Harold wondered.

"She said that Eleanor was desperate for a male model. I would never have agreed to do this one such short notice, but Blair told me you wanted me here," Roman insisted.

The four ultimately pieced the puzzle pieces of Blair's scheme together. They were all going to kill Blair Waldorf. Blair Waldorf _must_ die!


	11. Death Wish

**A/N:** The final twist in the story has been revealed in this chapter. This story is coming to an end. I predict another two or three chapters. Please leave me a review. Thank you!

**Death Wish**

* * *

Serena knocked on the bedroom door and waited patiently before she was let into the room.

"What can I do for you Serena?" Lily asked. "I am awfully busy this morning. I have a meeting with the board and then client after client."

"Are you free tomorrow night mom?" Serena wondered, hoping she would say yes.

Lily stopped rustling through the stack of papers before her momentarily in order to address her daughter.

"Why do you ask?"

Serena sighed and took a seat next to Lily on the bed. She put a hand over hers and looked her intently in the eyes.

"Mom, I'm worried about you," Serena answered truthfully. "Eric and I hardly get to see you anymore. Chuck spends more time at his suite than he does here. Are we even a family anymore?"

Her voice broke slightly as she voiced her thoughts. Lily listened attentively to her words, but ultimately waved off her concerns.

"Of course we are Serena darling," she assured her. "I want to be there for our family, but I've just been completely swamped at the office is all."

Serena felt the anger rise within her upon hearing her mother's blatant denial over abandoning their family.

"Mom!" she shouted. "Stop it! You aren't a teenager anymore! You have responsibilities!"

"Young lady, I will _not_ tolerate..."

"You were hurt when Rufus chose his career over you and I _get_ that mom. I do, but you can't just bury your pain in your work. We _need_ you."

"You don't know what you're talking about Serena. Now if you're through with your tantrum, I need to get to work," Lily informed her as she stood up from her seat on the bed and approached the bedroom door.

"Mom," Serena pleaded from behind her. "We feel like we don't even _know_ you anymore. Do you even know _us_?"

Lily spun around to face her daughter then; her face revealed no emotions.

"Serena, I haven't changed a bit. You're overreacting. I still care about all of you," she insisted.

"Oh really?" Serena challenged, her tone cold and indifferent. "Where were you when I had decided to return to my self-destructive ways? Where were you when Chuck decided to spend more time at his suite?"

"Charles insisted that he missed his suite. He comes home for a family dinner twice a week, does he not Serena?" Lily retorted.

"And you _bought_ that bullshit? Eric and I had no idea what was going on with Chuck either, but at least we could tell that he was depressed over Blair's rejection," Serena shot back at her mother. "He could have been drinking himself into oblivion and none of us would have ever known. Everything's ok now since he and Blair worked things out and started dating, but where _were_ you when he needed you. Where were you when _we_ needed you?"

Lily remained silent at her accusations. The only sound that could be heard was that of Serena's heavy breathing.

"Serena, this conversation ends now," Lily demanded in adamant tone.

"Mom, I understand how much Rufus means to you because I know how much Dan means to me," Serena started again.

She could see the tears welling up in her mother's eyes, but she continued on with her speech. She needed to say this now because she had no clue exactly _when_ she would be able to gather enough courage to confront her mother again.

"We miss you though mom," she continued. "Eric needs you. Chuck needs you. _I_ need you."

Lily nodded her head in final understanding.

"I'm sorry dear," she whispered, wiping away the tears that were now overflowing from her eyes.

Serena shook her head in silent forgiveness and pulled her mother into a tight embrace as tears began to cloud her own eyes.

"I'm sorry too mom."

Lily pulled back from their hug then and laughed through her tears.

"What do you say we spend the rest of the day together? And then tonight, we will have our usual family dinner. I'll be sure to ask Charles to move back in with us," Lily promised.

"That would be great mom," Serena beamed. "What about all of your meetings?"

Lily scoffed. "I hire people to attend to those matters. I should be sitting back and reaping the benefits of being a primary share holder and I am _definitely_ free tomorrow night. What did you have in mind?"

* * *

"Blair," Chuck ground out her name as he stepped into her room.

She was sitting in front of her mirror fixing her hair and she was as beautiful as ever. He almost changed his mind about confronting her over what he had gathered from Jenny and Serena's earlier discussion. _Almost._

"Ten more minutes," Blair informed him upon acknowledging his presence from the mirror.

"Why did you ask Jenny and Serena to reunite Lily and Rufus?" he asked immediately.

He had no time to play games with her. He wanted to know the reason and fast. She stopped brushing her hair upon hearing his question.

"What are you talking about?" Blair responded, feigning innocence.

A momentary look of anger flickered across his face at her denial as his eyes began to darken as well. Blair almost ran from the room in fear.

"You _know_ I hate Rufus and his Brooklyn clan. Why would you want Lily and Rufus to reunite?" he questioned again without missing a beat. "Did I do something wrong? Is this some sort of cruel _punishment_ you have planned out for me?"

"Lily and Rufus love each other Chuck," Blair tried to explain, ignoring the rest of his insane questions.

"Of course," Chuck replied, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "How could I have been so insensitive?"

Blair smiled at his dramatics and took a seat on her bed. She gestured for him to sit beside her and he reluctantly complied.

"Chuck, I know the Humphreys aren't your favorite people in the world," Blair began.

Chuck gave her a roll of his eyes and Blair laughed.

"Alright, so maybe that was an understatement Chuck, but you and I both know that Lily and Rufus are really in love with one another," she continued. "What would you say to the people who refused to accept _our_ love for each other?"

"I'd tell them to mind their own fucking business?" Chuck answered honestly.

Blair gave him a look and Chuck sighed.

"Fine Blair, but I'm still not happy about this," he huffed, crossing his arms across his chest.

Blair pouted as she trailed a finger down the length of his arm.

"_Poor_ baby," Blair cooed. "I think I can make it better."

"Really?" Chuck asked, his signature smirk forming across his lips.

Blair nodded as she slipped her dress over her head.

"I made lunch reservations though," Chuck protested rather weakly as her panties hit the floor.

The brunette pushed him back onto the bed and climbed on top of him.

She leaned in close to his ear as she began to unbutton his shirt and whispered, "We can have dessert first Bass."

* * *

Lily took a bite of her salmon before reiterating her decision.

"Thank you for being honest with me Serena, but I am _still_ not having dinner with Rufus tomorrow night."

"Mom," Serena urged. "You and Rufus are inevitable. Why not reunite sooner rather than later?"

"Was _he_ the one that suggested this?" Lily questioned.

Serena sighed as she tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

"No, Jenny and I came up with this plan," Serena admitted. "Our intentions were good though. Rufus has already agreed to this date. Why not hear what he has to say mom? I bet he missed you as much as you missed him."

"_He has?_" Lily asked in shock. "Agreed to the date I mean."

"Yes," Serena assured her.

She had no idea if Jenny had been able to convince Rufus to attend the dinner date, but a little white lie for now wouldn't hurt, right?

"In fact, Jenny told me that he was a nervous wreck at the possibility of a second chance," the blond lied once more. "He really does miss you mom. I'm sure of it."

"Alright Serena," Lily agreed. "I'll go, but only on the condition that you talk to Dan _right_ now and work things out. I'm not as clueless as you think I am Serena."

"Deal," Serena answered almost immediately.

She took a moment to actually process her mother's words before she said, "Wait. _What?_"

Lily cocked her head in the direction of the restaurant entrance where Dan was currently standing, waving his arms like mad in Serena's direction. Serena swiveled around to face her mother again.

"I'll be right back," Serena informed her before making her way towards the love of her life.

Her heart was beating so fast, she thought it might explode. She took in several deep breaths as she made her way towards him in order to calm herself down.

"Can we take a walk Serena?" Dan asked as the blond approached him.

"I…" Serena trailed off as she turned to look at her mother.

Lily smiled at her and waved her off. Serena returned her smile and mouthed a silent thank you.

"Sure Dan," she answered finally before taking his arm and walking out the door.

"Serena," Dan started the moment they were outside the restaurant. "I know what you did for me to get me into Yale."

The blond looked at him in shock, but quickly regained her composure.

"Dan, I was just trying to help," Serena insisted. "I know you…"

"Thank you," he interrupted her.

"_What?_"

Dan laughed at her shocked response.

"Thank you for helping me out," he reiterated. "I know I'm stubborn sometimes and…"

"_Sometimes?_" Serena questioned, raising an eyebrow in his direction.

Dan chuckled again.

"Alright," Dan responded. "_All_ the time then, but I really _am_ grateful for your help this time. Thank you."

"You're welcome," she assured him. "You know Blair, Chuck, and Nate all lent a hand as well, right?"

Dan sighed.

"Yeah," he answered her. "Thanking Blair and Nate will be a breeze. Nate and I are friends and Blair has warmed up to me I think. I'm a little scared to thank Chuck though. He might kill me."

"He won't. He doesn't think you're worth it," Serena told him, dissolving into a fit of giggles.

"Thanks Serena," Dan drawled sarcastically.

His sarcasm only served to fuel her contagious laughter and he was laughing alongside her soon enough. Suddenly, he stopped laughing and turned towards her. She stopped laughing as well the moment her eyes connected with his own and they just stood there for a moment staring at each other.

"Serena?" Dan spoke up finally.

"Yes?" she breathed in anticipation.

"Will you go the prom with me tomorrow night? I know you probably have a date already and…"

His ramblings were silenced by her sweet kiss and he found himself melting in the moment. He had missed her so much. They continued to kiss and clung on tightly to one another, afraid that this would all be a dream if they dared to let go. They finally did though when they heard someone cough uncomfortably from behind them.

"Jenny?" Serena blurted. "What are you doing here?"

"Blair asked me to design a dress for her for the prom tomorrow night. I just finished it this morning, so I thought I would drop it off at her place. I'm on my way over right now. Glad to see the two of you have reunited," Jenny commented.

Dan blushed. This was _so_ embarrassing.

"Are we on for tomorrow night Serena?" the younger blond asked, paying no attention to her brother's obvious discomfort with her presence.

"Of course," Serena assured her. "My mom is on board and Rufus?"

"He's on board as well. I actually ended up telling him the truth rather than using the whole blind date excuse," Jenny informed her.

"I ended up telling my mom the truth as well," Serena added.

"What is all this about?" Dan asked in confusion. "I feel like I should know what's going on."

Serena and Jenny both laughed at the ridiculously funny confused expression on his face.

"I'll explain everything to him," Serena told Jenny. "We'll catch up with you later."

"Sounds good Serena," she answered. "Bye Dan."

"Bye Jenny," he said, waving her off.

He then turned towards Serena and asked, "So, what _was_ that all about?"

* * *

"Who was it?" Blair called out from the bathroom.

"No one important," Chuck assured her from his place on the bed.

Truthfully, Georgina had been the one to call him. She had said that she needed to speak with him immediately and he was currently debating over whether he should meet up with her or not. On the one hand, he _could_ really use someone to talk to about his suicide and who better than Georgina Sparks? He also wanted to talk to her about Nate because he hated seeing his best friend drown himself in his misery. On the other hand, Blair would _kill_ him if she ever found out about his meeting with the she-devil.

"You might as well tell me the truth now," Blair said, interrupting his thoughts.

Chuck looked up at her shock. How long had she been standing there just staring at him? Blair rolled her eyes at his surprised expression.

"I can read you like an open book Chuck. You have that look on your face that tells me that you're contemplating about whether you should tell me the truth or not about something and I'm guessing that _something_ has to do with that phone call," she finished.

"Yeah, that was Georgina," he stuttered.

"And?" Blair prodded him on.

_Abby must have spoken to Georgina already._

"She wants to meet up with me, but she just wants to talk. I swear," he assured her.

"Then go," she said.

"_What?_"

Blair gave him an encouraging smile. "Go on. I mean, I get that you and Georgina are still friends and…"

"And what?" he asked her.

"And she could probably help you deal with your suicide attempt in a way that I can't," she answered, her voice tinged with a hint of sadness.

Chuck rolled out of bed then to hold her in his arms.

"Thank you Blair," he whispered.

She nodded as he grabbed his phone and walked out the door.

"Chuck?" she called after him.

"Yeah?" he asked, popping his head back into the room for a split second.

"You _might_ want to put on some clothes first."

* * *

"Hey Georgina," he greeted her as he took the seat across from her at the table.

"Chuck," she started. "I wanted to talk to you about…"

"I have a question for you first," he interrupted her.

Georgina smiled. She only ever let the people she cared about see this smile.

"Sure," she responded.

Chuck paused for a moment before whispering in a low tone, "When did you finally get over it?"

He didn't need to explain what he meant by _it_. It was understood.

"I never did," she answered without a hint of hesitation.

"You never did as in you never _tried_ to get over it or what?" he prodded her on.

Georgina looked away from him then, concentrating on the texture of the tiles on the floor.

"Georgina," Chuck comforted her, placing his hand comfortably over hers.

It wasn't a romantic gesture, but a kind one.

"You can try Chuck, but it becomes a permanent part of your memories. The incident is forever etched into your brain. You can forget it or ignore it, but there will always be times where the images and feelings will resurface. You never truly let go of it…"

"…unless in death," he finished for her.

"What?" Georgina clarified, peering over at him in concern.

"I don't think I'll ever be able to escape this nightmare unless in death," he reiterated.

Georgina scoffed. "Well, I wouldn't take it _that_ far."

"No," Chuck responded surely. "I mean it. I'm constantly thinking about it even though I try not to. I would try to get myself to think about something else like how beautiful Blair is at that moment or something, but then this voice inside my head reminds me that I did it because of _her_."

"And then it snowballs from there until it consumes you?" Georgina offered.

"Exactly," he said. "I honestly feel like this will follow me for the rest of my life."

She nodded briefly in understanding.

"I know what you mean. If you ever need someone to talk to, you know I'm here for you. I highly doubt you've been opening up to Blair about how it still haunts you," she informed him.

"Well, no," he concurred. "She just knows I need time to heal, but the depressing truth is that I never will. Anyway, what did you want to talk to me about?"

"Does Nate really love me?" she blurted out blatantly.

Chuck was taken aback by her frankness, but recovered from his shock. This _was_ Georgina Sparks after all. She was nothing if not straight forward and to the point.

"He does," he assured her, looking her directly in the eyes.

The emotions in her eyes then were more than familiar to him because they revealed the same fears he had of finally telling Blair he loved her again at prom tomorrow night.

"I know how you feel Georgina," he continued. "You want to tell him you love him too, but you feel insecure. You're afraid of the consequences. You're debating over whether to risk your heart or not because it's been broken before."

"Hurt like hell," she added.

"I know," he told her.

Georgina smirked at him knowingly.

"You're planning to tell Blair you love her again at the prom tomorrow night, aren't you?" she questioned.

Chuck didn't bother denying her assumption.

"Yes, which is why I know _exactly_ what you're going through right now," he explained.

"You think Nate is worth the risk?" she asked, still unsure of herself.

"I _know_ he is," Chuck answered her confidently. "I'd ask if you think _Blair_ is worth me risking my heart again, but we both know you hate…"

"Yes," Georgina interjected. "She is."

"I knew you would say that!" he responded. "Wait. _What?_ Are you going soft on me Sparks?"

He leaned back in his chair in disbelief as Georgina smirked.

"If you tell anyone Bass, I just might have to kill you," she threatened him playfully.

"Nah," he retorted. "You'd torture me first."

* * *

Abby grimaced at what she had discovered from their conversation. Chuck would only ever let go of his suicide in _death_? That certainly made things more difficult, but without freeing him of his nightmare, Blair and her could never return to the past or rather the present. She should probably go and inform Blair about what she had found out so that they could come up with a solution together, but Blair would never agree to end Chuck's life. There wasn't an alternative solution available though. He had said so _himself_ that he could only ever let it go in death and Abby would just have to grant his wish in order to return to the real world. She was going to have to do this all on her own.


	12. I Love You To Death

**A/N:** The ending of this chapter is to _die_ for – literally. Please take a moment and leave me with a review.

**I Love You To Death**

* * *

"Blair, you look beautiful," Eleanor commented.

The brunette smiled at her compliment and twirled around once in front of the mirror for good measure. A compliment was a rarity coming from her mother.

"You look gorgeous," her father concurred, giving her a slight nod from where he was seated.

Blair turned around to thank her father for his compliment only to find a somber look gracing his tired features. She knew something was wrong almost immediately. Her father rarely frowned at least not in her presence.

"Daddy?" she asked in concern. "Is there something on your mind?"

Harold Waldorf couldn't help but smile at her term of endearment, but it made what he was about to do _that_ much more difficult.

"Blair," he started.

"We need to talk to you," Eleanor finished for her husband.

Blair bit her lip in concern as her parents shared a secretive glance between them. She knew this was where the yelling would begin. They had yet to punish her for the way she had set them up the other day with Cyrus and Roman.

"Your mother and I have decided to get another divorce," he stated, cutting through her thoughts and dispelling her suspicions.

Eleanor shot him a look of disapproval. She was hoping to beat around the bush for a little while before springing something as big as this on her daughter, especially since this was her prom night.

To both their surprise, Blair smiled and simply responded, "Alright."

"I know..." Harold interjected.

"_What?_" Eleanor questioned, her voice overlapping with her husband's.

Blair linked her hands with both of theirs and said, "I want the two of you to be happy and I know now that you will never find true happiness with each other."

Eleanor retracted her hand from her grasp upon instinct, but pulled her daughter into a tight hug moments later, eliciting a shocked gasped from the brunette's lips.

"Thank you," she whispered into her daughter's chocolate curls.

"We were afraid of your reaction Blair Bear," Harold added.

Blair laughed. "You think I brought Roman and Cyrus to the fashion show the other day as a prank or something? I wanted the four of you to realize who you were all _really_ meant to be with."

It was Harold's turn to embrace his daughter.

"You did a good thing Blair Bear. Your mother and I would have never reconciled with them if it hadn't been for you. It turns out that there had been nothing going on between Roberto and Roman. I was mistaken and he had been too afraid to agitate me further to explain the truth," Harold told her.

"I'm happy for you and Roman daddy," Blair informed him, a genuine smile upon her face.

Everything was falling into place. She would free Chuck of his nightmare tonight and as long as Lily and Rufus reconciled, Abby and her would be back in the past or rather the present in absolutely no time at all.

"Well, Cyrus _did_ actually cheat on me," her mother sighed, interrupting their father-daughter moment.

Harold and Blair both motioned for her to join their family hug and although reluctant at first, Eleanor eventually complied.

"I forgave him after his profuse apologies though. I love that man so much that it consumes me," she confessed. "He promised me that it would never happen again and I hope he will be true to his word."

"Daddy and I will take care of him if he isn't," Blair assured her mother to which Harold agreed with a firm nod of his head.

The three of them continued to stare at one another for a moment, relishing in the rarity of a family embrace. Eleanor was the first to take a step back and Harold followed suit moments later. Blair lingered where she was standing for a while longer before twirling around in the mirror once more to examine her dress. She put on her necklace to frost her bare neck and turned to face her parents again.

"You look beautiful darling," her mother repeated, beaming at her daughter with pride.

"Charles is sure to faint the moment he lays his eyes on you tonight Blair Bear," her father added.

Blair blushed at his words. She traced the beads that decorated her dress as she contemplated over what his reaction would _truly_ be like. Chuck Bass did _not_ faint. He would probably whisper in her ear about how beautiful she looked tonight and then lead her onto the dance floor or at least that was how she had pictured the moment. Tonight would be magical. This was the night that her lifelong fairytale would finally come true.

"Your carriage is here Blair," Eleanor announced as she looked out of the penthouse window. "As for your father and I, we have a dinner planned with Cyrus and Roman."

Blair clasped her hands together in excitement over her mother's announcements. Not only was she on her way to meet _her_ true love, but her parents were too and nothing could have been more perfect than that. She walked over to the elevator as did Harold and Eleanor when she suddenly stopped in her tracks. She ran towards and made her way up the stairs without so much as an explanation, clearly headed in the direction of her room.

"The carriage is this way sweetheart," Harold reminded her.

"I wore the wrong necklace," she shouted from her room. "You two go right ahead. Enjoy your dinner and tell Cyrus and Roman I said hi."

Her parents shrugged, said their goodbyes, and stepped into the elevator. Blair walked over to her closet and retrieved the box from its place on the shelf. She needed to know how she and Abby were doing in terms of their restoration of this warped world. She didn't need any last minute surprises about something that she had forgotten to fix, especially when she had her heart set on wrapping things up tonight.

She held her breath as she lifted the lid. To her relief, she found that the necklace had appeared in full. Blair smiled wide because she knew Lily and Rufus must have reconciled. She then flipped the pendant over to find that the inscription had not yet appeared - not that she was surprised at her discovery of course. She still hadn't released Chuck from his nightmare. She wondered how his talk with Georgina had gone. She would have to find Georgina at the prom as soon as possible and ask for her findings. There had to be a way she could help Chuck and she was determined to figure it all out tonight.

"He will only let go of his nightmare in death," Abby spoke up from behind her.

Blair whirled around to find the brunette standing before her.

"What are you talking about Abby?" Blair asked, rolling her eyes at the spirit.

"I overheard Georgina's conversation with Chuck," she explained. "He said so himself. He will only let go of his nightmare in death."

"Why are you telling me this Abby?" Blair spat. "You know I would never kill Chuck. I would rather us be stuck in this warped world forever."

"There isn't a forever Blair. We have to leave eventually. We do not belong in this world," Abby reminded her. "Time is running out. Ensuring his death is our only ticket out of here. Staying here for too long is detrimental. We would disintegrate into nothing. Neither world would acknowledge our existence. It would be as if neither of us had ever been born."

"Stop it!" Blair shouted, placing her hands over her ears to block out the brunette's insistent voice.

"Stop _what_?" Abby asked in confusion.

Blair's arms dropped to her side as she sent the spirit the hardest glare she could muster.

"You know that thing where you open your mouth and sound comes out?" the brunette retorted.

Abby ignored her evident rudeness and trudged on.

"You would rather sacrifice your own existence instead of killing him?" the spirit confirmed.

"Yes," Blair answered her confidently, crossing her arms over her chest in defiance.

Abby allowed a melancholic smile to hug her lips upon hearing her unwavering answer.

"Then you leave me no choice Blair," Abby told her, a hidden apology laced in her words for what she was about to do.

Abby walked out of her bedroom and slammed the door behind her. Blair only began to panic when she heard the unmistakable sound of a key sliding into a lock. The brunette ran over to the wooden barrier upon instinct and started pounding on the door with all of the strength she had in her body.

"Abby!" she cried. "Let me out of here you psychotic bitch!"

"Not until Chuck is dead," Abby told her from the other side of the door.

She could hear Abby walking away and the complete realization of what Abby was about to do hit her like a ton of bricks.

"Abby! Please!" Blair shouted once more, falling to her knees in desperation.

There was no answer and she knew the spirit was undeniably gone. She ran over to the window in an attempt to escape from her prison only to find that it had been bolted shut. Abby had planned this all along. Blair cursed the spirit, her voice full of contempt and hatred for the girl. It wasn't until she witnessed Abby enter _her_ carriage that her heart dropped to the depths of despair. Abby was planning to kill Chuck at their prom and she wouldn't be able to save him.

* * *

Abby stepped out of the carriage to find Chuck standing before her, his hand outstretched to receive hers.

"Hello Chuck," she greeted him as she slipped her hand in his. "Blair has another engagement she needs to attend to. She sent me to be your replacement date for the night."

"_What?_" Chuck asked, shocked at the news. "Where is she?"

"I can explain," Abby started as she guided him towards the entrance.

They left their belongings at the coat check before she led him towards the dance floor. Chuck wanted to express his frustrations then and there over her obvious attempts at postponing their inevitable conversation, but ultimately decided that it would be best for him to listen to her explanation before drawing any conclusions over his missing date. He allowed her to lead him to the dance floor except they were interrupted by none other than Serena and Dan.

"Abby?" Serena questioned. "What are _you_ doing here with Chuck?"

"I thought Blair was your date," Dan added, turning to look at the brunette in question.

"She is," Chuck insisted. "Blair sent Abby to be my replacement date. She has another engagement she has to attend to apparently."

"Explain," Serena demanded, turning to face the brunette.

"I think Chuck and I should speak in private," Abby insisted.

"Whatever you have to say to me, you can say in front of my sister and her poor choice of boyfriend," Chuck informed her.

"Hey!" Dan shouted, catching on to his insult.

Serena elbowed for him to keep quiet. She wanted to know where her best friend was. This was supposed to be the night where her lifelong fairytale would finally come true. If she knew her best friend well enough like she thought she did, she knew the brunette wouldn't miss this night for the world. There was also something about Abby's aura that left her suspicious over the brunette's true intentions.

"Fine," Abby sighed in defeat. "Prepare yourself for heartbreak Chuck."

Serena looked at her sceptically as Chuck motioned for her to continue, although his heart was already racing at her words.

"Blair is onboard a plane as we speak," Abby explained. "She realized that while she was fake dating Carter, she truly fell in love with him."

"_What?_" Serena responded.

"Impossible," Chuck spat at the same time. "Carter is here with Georgina."

Dan shook his head at the group and walked away then. None of them seemed to notice his disappearance – not even Serena.

"Except Georgina is here alone," Abby observed.

"_Blair was more than satisfied with how your conversation with Chuck went, but you have one last task Georgina before Blair will hand over the Waldorf fortune to you."_

"_Spit it out," Georgina demanded. "I have places to go and people to see."_

"_Of course," Abby responded. "She needs you to call Carter and tell him not to fly in to be your date for the prom."_

"_And why would I want to do that?" Georgina questioned. "Why would Blair want me to do that?"_

"_Blair wants her prom night to be perfect," Abby said smoothly. "Chuck and Carter being in the same room might ruin that."_

"_Fine," Georgina regressed. "I still need a date for the prom though. Nate is taking Vanessa. I would look like an idiot without one. I told him I was going with Carter."_

"_Your problem," Abby told her. "Not mine."_

_The brunette walked off then as Georgina watched her retreating figure. Where would she find another date on such short notice? Maybe this was a sign. Maybe it was time for her to tell Nate she loved him. She would show up at the prom looking gorgeous, although alone and by the end of the night, Nate Archibald would be hers. She'd make sure of it._

Chuck turned to look in Georgina's direction to find that Abby was indeed telling the truth. He scanned the room for Carter to be sure only to conclude that Georgina was definitely without a date for the night.

"Abby _has_ to be lying Chuck," Serena interrupted. "You should call Blair to ask her for an explanation yourself. Why would she run off to find Carter? You know she loves you."

"Do I?" he asked bitterly.

He grabbed a bottle of scotch from behind the bar, careful not to get caught. He then took Abby by the hand and began to drag her in the direction of the stairs that led up to the roof of the building.

"Where do you think you're going?" Serena shouted after him.

Chuck whirled around to face the blond.

"I'm going up to the roof to enjoy my scotch and my replacement date if you don't mind _mother_," he drawled.

Serena was about to open her mouth and stop him again when Dan returned, tapping her on the shoulder to get her attention. She spun around to face her boyfriend.

"Where the _hell_ did you go Dan?" she seethed. "Blair is going to be _furious_! That little _bitch_ is trying to tear her and Chuck apart!"

"I knew Abby was lying the moment she told us that Blair had fallen for Carter. We both know that Chuck is her one and only," Dan explained. "I left for a reason. Look what I got from coat check."

He retrieved a phone from the purse he was holding and placed it in her hands. Serena scanned over the text message that Blair had sent Abby only a few minutes ago and gasped at her discovery.

"Abby must have locked Blair up somewhere!" she exclaimed.

"Where could she have locked her up though?" Dan wondered, rubbing his forehead in extreme concentration.

Serena grabbed the purse from his hands in response and rummaged through its contents, hoping to find some sort of clue. She stopped short when she felt a familiar key in her hands. She pulled it out and revealed it to her boyfriend.

"Her room," Serena informed him.

Dan grabbed her hand and together they ran to rescue Blair. Little did they know that Abby wasn't planning to _steal_ Chuck from Blair; she was planning to kill him.

* * *

"I was planning to tell her I love her tonight, you know," Chuck slurred. "I even romanticized my suite for the occasion. I laid out a trail of rose petals on the floor damn it! I even bought her favorite scented candles to light up the room!"

Abby smiled politely at his confessions. It had taken more alcohol than she had expected to get him this drunk. This boy could hold his alcohol and then some. She had returned to the bar to sneak up two more bottles of scotch in order to get him in his current inebriated position.

"You _must_ feel horrible right now," Abby offered. "I know _I_ would probably feel like dying if I had my heart broken like this."

"No _shit_ Sherlock!" he shot back. "I wanted to trust her with my heart again and look what that heartless bitch did. She went after that motherfucker after swearing to me that I was her one and only and the sick part is that I will always be in love with this girl!"

"You could seek revenge on her," Abby suggested. "What would hurt her the most?"

She was hoping her question would fuel his remembrance of the fact that his death would hurt Blair the most. Maybe she wouldn't have to kill Chuck Bass after all. He would kill himself.

The brunette let out a throaty laugh and ignored her question. Abby shivered involuntarily at the hatred that was riveting in the hallows of his throat. He started walking along the edge of the roof as Abby chose to sit still, watching him.

"I have nothing to fucking live for!" he shouted into the darkness as he teetered on the narrow ledge, a bottle of scotch held firmly in his hand.

He began to sing at the top of his lungs and Abby cringed at the sound of his shrill voice. He was so completely disoriented that even influencing him to commit suicide would be a challenge. She would have to do the honours. This was it. All she had to do was gather up the courage to push him off the ledge. She stood up from where she was seated and approached him cautiously. Chuck Bass had to die and the saddest part was that he would _never_ see this coming.

* * *

"Nate, can I talk to you for a moment?" Georgina wondered as she approached the blond.

"You can, but you may not," he answered, careful to maintain a cool demeanor towards her. "I'm waiting for Vanessa. My _girlfriend_? She went off to get us some drinks."

Georgina ignored his ice-coated sentiments and continued.

"This is important," she insisted.

Nate grunted a bit before following her to an isolated corner of the room.

"Nate Archibald, I think I..." she trailed off, frowning upon seeing Vanessa return to his side.

"We have to get up to the roof," she informed them both, motioning towards the set of stairs at the other end of the room.

"What?" Nate asked. "What are you talking about Vanessa?"

He silently cursed Vanessa for returning so soon. He had a hunch of what Georgina was about to tell him. Vanessa merely shook her head at his question, panic evidently etched across her features.

"Dan messaged me about ten seconds ago. Abby is planning to kill Chuck," she explained.

"What are you talking about?" Georgina demanded.

"This is ridiculous!" Nate shouted, throwing his hands up in the air.

"Abby is planning to kill Chuck!" Vanessa reiterated. "She locked Blair in her room and..."

Georgina grabbed her hand then and ran in the direction of the stairs as her words finally set in. She had no idea whether Vanessa had simply gone insane or not, but she wasn't about to take any chances. Nate followed closely behind the two girls. They reached the stairs only to find that Blair, Serena, and Dan were already on their way up to the roof.

"Blair!" Georgina shouted after the brunette.

Blair ignored her and continued up the stairs. She held the necklace in the palm of her hand, staring at the back of the pendent and praying that an inscription would not appear. Slowly, however, words began to form and Blair felt the world blur around her. She disregarded the sickening feeling in her stomach as she took those final steps towards the door. She could still save him. Blair Waldorf would _not_ let him die even if it meant sacrificing her very own existence. She swung the door wide open upon reaching it, surveying the rooftop for any sign of his presence.

"Chuck!" she shouted frantically the moment she had spotted him and Abby. "Chuck!"

She let out an ear-piercing scream as he turned to look at her only to witness the shock on his face as Abby gave him a steady push from behind.


	13. Twice Upon A Time

**A/N:** An ending to a story is always hard to write. Thank you for following Blair on her twisted adventure. Please leave me with one final review.

**Twice Upon A Time**

* * *

Blair let out a shrill scream as she shot up from her bed. Her hands were holding onto the sheets for dear life and she could still feel her heart thundering against her ribcage in a silent plea for help. She could feel its undying rhythm – beat after beat like the steady sound of beating drums.

"Chuck?" she whispered uncertainly as she surveyed her surroundings.

"Miss Blair," Dorota answered as she opened the curtains. "You have nightmare. You come down for breakfast now."

Blair mumbled several incoherent phrases as she raised her hand to shield the blinding light that dared to assault her vision. Dorota left the room then and Blair took a deep breath to calm herself as the remains of her nightmare trickled down her ivory skin. She clutched onto her bed for support and approached the mirror. She still _looked_ like Blair Waldorf.

The brunette walked over to her purse and retrieved her phone, flipping it open to check her outgoing text messages. The last text that she had sent out was to Serena to inform her that Carter was taking her home. Had she _really_ turned back the hands of time?

She approached her closet cautiously for confirmation. The doors swung open to reveal her school uniform and her old wardrobe and she breathed a sigh of relief. She decided to call Abby later. A celebration was definitely in order. Despite the fact that Abby had killed Chuck, Blair knew that her intentions had been pure. She ran downstairs to find her mother and Cyrus eating their breakfast.

"Good morning mom," she greeted her happily as she waltzed into the room and took a seat next to her mother.

"Blair, what's gotten into you?" Eleanor asked, completely boggled by her daughter's current behaviour.

"Nothing," the brunette responded as she ran over to give Cyrus a hug.

"Well, good morning to you too Blair," Cyrus chuckled as he returned her embrace.

He pulled back from her hold on him only to have Blair embrace him once again and shout, "Not enough!"

Just when Cyrus was about to question her sanity, a surprise visitor entered the room.

"Blair Bear," greeted the visitor from behind her.

"Daddy!" she squealed as she ran towards him. "You came back!"

Her father smiled against her chocolate hair.

"Oh Blair Bear," he explained. "I felt bad about the way we left things."

"No daddy," she insisted. "You had every right to be disappointed in me. I promise you that nothing like that will _ever_ happen again."

"I forgive you Blair Bear," he whispered. "No matter how many mistakes you make in life and no matter how big those mistakes are, you'll always be my little girl."

"Are you staying?" Blair wondered as they both took their seats at the table. "When did you arrive?"

"For a while," Harold answered. "And Roman and I arrived last night. Believe it or not _he_ was the one who scolded me and convinced me to make things right with you."

"Your father was so convinced that his words had hurt you that he booked a flight for him and Roman to come back to see you immediately," Eleanor interrupted. "He also demanded that Cyrus and I fly back home as well because apparently you need as much family support as possible since you lost Yale."

"Oh mother!" Blair exclaimed. "You and Cyrus are still supposed to be in Paris! I completely forgot about that! I can't believe you two actually came back early for me!"

"Well, you _are_ my daughter," Eleanor stressed as Blair pulled her into a side hug.

She then turned to face her father and Cyrus only to find them beaming in her direction. Blair returned their grins just as Roman walked into the room and took a seat at the table as well. He had been lurking in the shadows to ensure that Harold had made amends with his daughter.

"Good morning Blair," he greeted her.

"Good morning Roman," Blair replied, getting up to give him a tight hug as well.

"Honestly!" Eleanor commented. "What is _wrong_ with you this morning Blair? Are you still in shock over losing Yale? Don't worry darling. Cyrus can..."

"Your father and I are very sorry you won't be going to Yale in the fall Blair," Roman interrupted her. "You must still be very upset about this."

Blair shook her head to denounce his assumption.

"I'm fine. Really. Maybe it's destiny," she voiced. "Besides, Cyrus has connections at NYU. He could probably secure at least an interview for me."

"How did you know I have connections at NYU Blair?" Cyrus wondered. "I've never mentioned it before, have I?"

"I don't recall mentioning anything either," Eleanor noted.

Blair froze over her obvious blunder.

"I was just assuming that since Cyrus was such a connected person, surely he would have connections at NYU," she said, trying desperately to cover up her mistake.

The men shrugged and nodded as Eleanor glanced at her daughter suspiciously. Before she could press her daughter for the truth because a mother can _always_ tell when her daughter is lying, the elevator door opened to reveal a fidgeting Serena.

"Well, that's my cue," Blair said quickly as she finished off her slice of toast, purposely avoiding her mother's wary glances.

"Have fun at school Blair Bear," her father told her.

"I will," she responded before heading into the elevator with Serena, grabbing her purse along the way.

"Chuck came home last night," Serena started the moment that the elevator doors had closed behind them. "He was drunk of course and he ended up confiding in Eric that you rejected him B. Eric came to me after and asked me to talk to you about it because he was really concerned. Chuck was _so_ inebriated last night, he could barely walk."

"Better drunk than dead," Blair blurted out loud as the thought raced across her mind.

Serena looked at her best friend in confusion over her statement, but decided it would be best not to confront her about it.

"You love him Blair," Serena reminded her instead. "He made a mistake, but none of us are perfect. Will you _please_ let him take you to school B? The limo is waiting outside. Eric and I will _walk_ to school. _Please_ just hear him out B."

"Are you _actually_ defending Chuck S?" Blair asked in amusement.

Serena cringed slightly at her accusation, although she was guilty as charged.

"I guess so B," Serena declared. "I'm doing this for you as well though. I know you're miserable without him and honestly, he's miserable without you. You two belong together Blair."

"Thank you S," she whispered, pulling her best friend into a tight hug.

Serena pulled back from their embrace in absolute shock. What was wrong with her best friend? Normally, she would have to reason with her for much longer than this.

The elevator doors opened as they reached the ground floor and Blair turned to the blond and said, "You and Dan are the perfect couple too, you know? I hope you realize that S before it's too late."

"_What?_" Serena asked in utter disbelief. "That's it! Who _are_ you and what have you done with Blair Waldorf?"

"Would you believe me if I told you I've been to the future?" Blair wondered.

"Are you feeling ok Blair?" Serena inquired, her eyebrows scrunched up in absolute confusion.

"I'll take that as a no," Blair stated. "Well S, I suppose you could say I had the strangest dream last night. We were all in the future and Dan was miserable without you. You were miserable without him too. You two belong together just like Chuck and I do."

"You approve of Dan now because of some strange dream you had last night?" Serena questioned as they stepped outside, taking in a breath of the fresh morning air.

"No," Blair answered, a smile gracing her delicate features. "I approve of Dan now because I want you to be happy."

"Blair!" Eric shouted, interrupting their conversation the moment he spotted the brunette. "_Please_ let Chuck take you to school. Just hear him out Blair."

"Don't worry Eric," she assured him, placing a hand on his shoulder. "I will. Serena was very convincing."

"Thank you," Eric said gratefully, breathing a sigh of relief.

The two girls shared one last hug before the brunette stepped towards the waiting limo. She turned back once more to address the younger blond.

"Hey Eric?" she began.

"Yeah?"

"Are you still with Jonathan?"

He nodded. "Of course. Why do you ask?"

"No reason," Blair exclaimed as Serena and Eric bade her goodbye.

Blair put her hand on the door handle then, but hesitated in opening the door. It was bothering her as to whether or not her weird adventure had been a reality or simply a futuristic nightmare. She decided to quench her curiosity before talking to Chuck. She took out her cell phone and dialed Abby's number. Abby had said that only the two of them would remember all that had happened.

"Hello?" a woman answered on the other end of the line.

"Abby?" Blair questioned, unable to recognize the voice. "Is that you?"

"I'm sorry, but I think you have the wrong number," the woman responded. "My name is Grace."

"Sorry about that," Blair said before hanging up the phone.

Blair could only stare at her phone as the dial tone began to sound in her ears. She double checked the number she had inputted into her phone. She was certain the number was Abby's. She had called her often enough to know it by heart by now. Had everything been nothing but a strange dream? It was absolutely possible. After all, she had had extremely odd ones many a times before. Time traveling and alternate dimensions _did_ seem kind of stupid not to mention impossible. She settled for her theory and opened the limo door, sliding onto the leather seats with ease.

She turned around to find Chuck just staring at her. He had dark circles under his eyes and he looked absolutely dejected. Her heart fluttered at the thought that this was all because of her rejection of him from last night. Before Chuck could open his mouth to speak his mind, her lips found his and although he resisted at first, he eventually responded eagerly to her touch. He pulled back for a brief moment and observed her with questioning eyes.

"Blair?" he asked in concern. "Are you alright? You're usually yelling at me by now or giving me a death glare at the very least."

She smiled and told him, "Chuck, I had the _weirdest_..."

"Wait Blair," he cut in. "I need to say something first."

The brunette fell back into her seat and waited patiently for him to continue.

"I know I've hurt you, but I want you to know that I meant what I said last night. You are _never_ an afterthought to me Blair. You are my destination. You _have_ to know that Blair. I made a mistake with Elle. I swear she meant nothing to me," he finished. "I was just trying to convince myself that I could live without you. I..."

She straddled his hips then, leaned in towards his ear, and whispered, "Tell me you love me."

"I love you Blair," he murmured into her hair as he wrapped his arms around her. "I'm sorry. Please don't leave me. I can't live without you."

She nodded in a silent promise and placed a gentle kiss on his lips. Her finger traveled down the length of his jaw and he shivered underneath her elusive touch.

"I love you too Chuck," she answered, smiling through her tears.

Regardless of whether her strange adventure had been nothing but a horrible nightmare or not, although it seemed to be just that, it had served as a wake up call. From now on, Blair Waldorf would never let Chuck Bass go no matter what offenses he committed against her because she was incomplete without him. Chuck and Blair. Blair and Chuck. One could not exist without the other.

"Make love to me," she whispered as he kissed away her fallen tears.

"Make love to you?" he echoed as his hands memorized the intricate curves of her delicate body. "You sure?"

The limo rolled to a stop then and Chuck sighed as their school loomed before them. He had his hand on the door handle when Blair placed her hand over his to stop him. She then knocked gently on the barrier that separated them from the driver.

"Miss Waldorf," the driver greeted her as he rolled down the tinted partition. "What can I do for you?"

"The Palace," she instructed him before turning back around to face her lover.

"What about school Blair?" Chuck asked. "You have a perfect attendance record."

She smiled at him melancholically and explained her decision.

"_We_ are so much more important than that. I had this horrible nightmare last night Chuck. I lost you in the end. It started with you dating Georgina and then..."

"Wow," Chuck commented. "_That_ would be my worst nightmare alright."

He chuckled as Blair swatted at him playfully. He caught her wrists in his hands and the light-hearted atmosphere disappeared almost immediately.

"Make love to me Chuck," she reiterated, kissing his temple.

He nodded numbly at her in response. What had he ever done to deserve the goddess before him?

"I love you Blair Waldorf," he murmured once more against her plump lips.

She ran her hands across his bare chest and answered, "I love you too Charles Bass. I love you too."

* * *

"I _cannot_ believe our prom night is here B!" Serena giggled as she stepped into the carriage. "The theme you approved of was genius of course."

Blair laughed. "This is going to be a night of fairy tales S. I mean, everyone is going with who they're meant to be with. I'm glad you and Dan are still going strong by the way."

"Yeah," Serena agreed. "I mean, I _never_ thought we would both take our parent's engagement so well."

"This kind of thing has happened in a countless number of movies and whatnot S," Blair reminded her.

"Yeah, but did you _see_ the nasty Gossip Girl post about it earlier this week?" Serena retorted.

"Who cares what she thinks?" Blair shot back. "Besides, no one else seems to have a problem with it."

Serena laughed. "That's because you made a public announcement that whoever dared to utter a word about it would face social isolation for the remainder of their lives B."

"Did I?" Blair questioned innocently, batting her eyelashes at her best friend.

"You did," Serena assured her. "You want to know another thing I can't believe?"

"Not particularly," Blair answered.

"Well, I'm going to tell you anyway," the blond scoffed. "I can't believe that Nate and Georgina are _actually_ in love with each other B! When I read on Gossip Girl that Nate dumped Vanessa for Georgina, I thought it was a joke. I always thought it would be Nate and Vanessa at the end of everything, you know?"

Blair laughed lightly at her words.

"Actually S," she mentioned casually. "I always thought that too. Comes to show that the future is full of surprises, huh?"

The blond nodded in agreement as the carriage came to a stop.

"I'm so excited B!" Serena squealed once more as she stepped outside, their conversation forgotten.

"It will be a night to remember," Blair agreed, following Serena's lead.

"It sure will princess," a husky voice said from behind her.

She whirled around to find her very own prince charming standing before her.

"Chuck," she breathed as he held out a velvet box for her to receive. "Is this the necklace you've been wanting to give me?"

He nodded as he led her into the building. Blair touched her bare neck in anticipation over his gift. He had been hinting about it for weeks and she had been dying to finally see the piece of jewelery in question. They left some of their belongings at the coat check before making their way onto the dance floor. She opened the velvet box then and she gasped at the necklace before her. She wasn't in shock over how exquisite it was, although it _was_ a beautiful piece. In that very velvet box laid the necklace from _that_ one unforgettable nightmare. _Had_ it only been a nightmare? Blair was surely questioning her previous conclusion now.

"Blair?" Chuck asked in concern upon witnessing her blank stare. "You hate it, don't you?"

"No!" Blair shouted a little too loudly. "I love it! I'm just in awe at how beautiful it is. That's all."

He nodded and clasped the necklace around her bare neck.

"There's an inscription on the back of the pendant," he whispered.

She tensed at his words as he flipped it over for her to see.

"I actually requested that they remove the original pendent and replace it with one with your name engraved onto the back, but the girl insisted that the necklace was created with this quote in mind," he explained. "The quote isn't really anything romantic, but the necklace was so beautiful, I just had to get it for you."

Blair was about to ask what the girl looked like when in the glimmering lights of the ballroom, she could finally read the words that had never been fully revealed to her in her nightmare, which she now believed to have been a reality.

_**The future is not a gift - it is an achievement.**_

"Odd quote to engrave on a necklace, right?" Chuck inquired as they swayed to the music.

Blair nodded against his shoulder, although she disagreed because she knew he honestly had no idea about the underlying truth to those words. She had worked hard for this future. It was an achievement indeed. She looked up then to find a familiar pair of green eyes staring back at her.

"Chuck?" Blair murmured.

"Yeah?" he responded.

"Do you see that girl?" she asked him just to be sure that Abby was visible to him as well. "The brunette with the green eyes?"

"Yeah," Chuck answered. "Actually, she's the girl that I mentioned earlier. The girl who sold me the necklace? I had no idea she goes to our school. She works part-time for her uncle or something like that. Anyway, her name is..."

"Abby," Blair finished for him.

"Yeah, do you know her?" he inquired curiously.

"Sort of," Blair replied. "I'll be right back."

Chuck nodded and went off to find Nate as Blair made her way over to Abby.

"Abby?" Blair greeted her uncertainly.

"Blair, it's been a while," she commented.

"So, it wasn't just a nightmare then. It really did happen," Blair noted.

"No duh!" Abby retorted, rolling her eyes at her.

"I called you though. Some woman named Grace answered your phone," the brunette tried to reason with her.

Abby laughed. "That's because you called me _before_ I got my new number. Try my number again now."

Blair pressed the digits into her phone only to find Abby's phone ringing insistently in response.

"See?" Abby told her. "Grace's number is now _my_ number. You just called me too early."

Blair laughed at her discovery. "Where's your date?"

"I prefer to be the observer at these sort of events," Abby explained, winking in her direction. "Speaking of dates though, I think you should get back to yours."

Blair hugged her then and said, "Thanks for everything Abby. I couldn't have done it without you."

Abby waved off her gratitude and started to disappear into the crowd. She turned around though to address Blair one last time.

"Blair?" she called out to the brunette.

"Yeah?" Blair answered.

"You know you love me."

Blair took a while to fully absorb what Abby had just said to her. She couldn't be Gossip Girl, could she? To answer her silent question, Abby opened her phone as Blair watched intently from where she was standing mere meters away. A new Gossip Girl blast distracted her insistent stare and Blair looked down for a moment to read the new message.

_**Spotted: Our Queen B wearing a shiny new necklace at prom given to her by none other than her very own King C. A source tells me that there was an inscription on the back of said necklace. The future is not a gift - it is an achievement. Wise words to remember everyone. See you all at graduation. You know you love me.**_

_**XOXO Gossip Girl**_

When Blair finally recovered from her shock and looked up, Abby was gone.

"Hey, are you ok?" Chuck asked in concern over her dazed state as he returned to her side.

Blair smiled and led him back to the dance floor. She looped her arms around his neck as she rested her forehead against his own.

"More than you'll ever know," she whispered. "More than you'll ever know."


End file.
